Mass Effect: The Lazarus Project
by Ladyamesindy
Summary: Two years after the death of Commander Shepard at the hands of a Collector ship, the threat of the Collectors is still real. Rumor has it that information regarding these attacks can be found on Omega. Fearing yet another agent has gone rogue, the Council sends Comder Kaidan Alenko and Lt James Vega to investigate. In the process, they discover who 'Agent Lazarus' really is ….
1. Prologue - Lazarus Station

_2185, Lazarus Station_

"This is the only shuttle off the station. You wanna stay and rot with the mechs, be my guest."

Pistol still held in front of her, she used the weapon as an extension of her hand, gesturing them both out the door and towards the vehicle. "Go on then," Micah murmured bitterly, including Jacob in her motions. "It'll be a cold day in hell that I'll willingly go anywhere with Cerberus."

For just a moment, the two women's gazes met and held. Anger. Frustration. Animosity. Resentment. All were there, clear to see. But in the space of a heartbeat, any potential threat of violence disappeared as Miranda turned away and stalked off. "Come on, Jacob." Micah remained standing by the door until they'd boarded the shuttle and it had taken flight, departing the station and leaving her alone.

_Well, now you've gone and done it, Juniper. I hope you know what you're doing._

Turning back into the station, Micah began retracing her steps. "So do I, dad," she murmured quietly, peering around every corner as she made her way back in the direction of the last control room she'd spotted that had potential communications devices. "So do I."

Thirty minutes was all it had taken, Micah mused a short while later. Over two years according to both Jacob and Miranda, but as far as Micah was concerned the decisive moments had all added up to the past thirty minutes. A second lifetime lived in those thirty minutes. And now the challenge would be in finding a way to extend that.

_"When I saw you, you looked like meat and tubes. Most places would have put you in a coffin by then. But Project Lazarus had one goal, one subject. You. The whole point was to bring you back. Just you, and even that was a challenge. Two years. All the top scientists, the best technology. I'm pretty sure you're not a clone. They wanted to bring you back exactly as you were. You're still you. You just might just have a few extra bits and pieces now."_

A few extra bits and pieces. Micah found herself wondering exactly what that meant. Oh, she had a good guess, a hazy sort of idea, but the extent of it? That would have to wait until she could find people she trusted to check her over. Because, despite the obvious efforts the scientists had gone to in order to bring her back, she could not find it in her to trust them. Too much was unknown about them.

_"The Alliance gave up on you. Declared you dead."_

_"And the members of my crew? They'd be here if they knew I was alive."_

_"It's been two years. They've moved on."_

Pausing at the juncture of two halls, Micah felt a shudder roll through her shoulders. Two years was two years, and she did have a vague recollection of those last minutes as the _Normandy_ fell apart around her. But there would be people who didn't give up on her. Several she could think of off hand. Then again, she could recall all too easily her mother's reaction to her father's death, so maybe she shouldn't have insisted ...

Another shudder passed over her before she ducked another look around the edge of the wall. Coast was clear. Good thing, too, because the earlier dizziness she'd experienced was returning in full force. At first, she'd thought it was simply from being woken up as she had, another side effect of the process that had brought her back to life, like the scars that Miranda had warned her about. A quick glance at a ghost of a reflection in the window across the way and Micah finally was able to see evidence of the markings, the soft orange glow peering out from beneath her skin. It was that glow that triggered quick memories of those final moments, of Joker calling her name frantically, of watching the _Normandy_ disintegrate and fall apart around her and her final drift into nothingness ….

"No!" she hissed, her attention and focus returning with a jolt. She stumbled, falling to a knee for a minute, vision blurring before her again. Shaking her head once, an attempt to break free of the impairment, she bit her lip and tried rising again.

Yeah, it was likely the Alliance had written her off. Two years, after what had happened to her, was more than enough time for that to happen. Hell, she wouldn't blame them if they had, really. But she still believed in those to whom she was closest. They were the ones she would trust, not ….

_"Shepard, if I tell you who we work for, will you trust me?" She hadn't had time to say yay or nay before Jacob continued. "The Lazarus Project. The program that rebuilt you. It's funded and controlled by Cerberus."_

Micah's stomach had rolled at the time, the mere thought of being tied to the organization enough to make her ill. _Cerberus_ … But why? How? For what reason? She knew damned good and well who and what they were. She also remembered the evidence of their actions she'd come across while trying to bring Saren in. An image of her father's close friend, Rear Admiral Kahoku, came to mind. An image where she and her squad had come upon his lifeless form … captured and used as a test subject by Cerberus before they had found him.

_Cerberus._ Micah shuddered at the thought. _No fucking way in hell I will ever work with you!_

Up ahead, the crush of metal and glass, the irrefutable sounds of destruction could be heard. In the distance, through a haze of smoke, she could see one of the heavy mechs she'd noticed during her earlier flight beginning to force its way through one of the damaged doors. So far, it hadn't seemed to notice her, a fact which had her scrambling as quickly as possible for the doorway of the communications room she'd been headed towards. Once inside, she allowed the barrier to close behind her, locked it and then, for lack of any experience or skill in such matters, she resorted to using her omni-tool blade to fry the circuitry, sealing it shut. Hopefully, it would be enough to keep the mech out, and, should the need arise before it had been disposed of, her biotics could lend a hand to her pistol in assisting her breaking back outside once more.

Leaving the lights off, Micah utilized the soft glow of emergency lighting to make her way over to the computer terminal. She knew she would be taking a chance trying to communicate with the Alliance via Cerberus equipment. Who knew what sort of tracking programs or other devices they might have installed here. But she had no other choice. She just hoped that this station was close enough to a Mass Relay that she could reach the Alliance network.

Though not a tech expert by any means, Micah had picked up a few skills over the years, dating back to when she'd been a small child. One thing her father and mother had both insisted upon was that she know how to find any way to reach the Alliance communications network in case she ever became separated from the ship or her parents. It had never happened, but now those skills were making themselves more than useful. Micah knew she would never compare, say, to Tali's hacking skills or Kaidan's own abilities, but within fifteen minutes, she had managed to hack into the Alliance network. From there, it was only a matter of finding someone who would listen.

"This is an emergency broadcast," she began, praying someone would be paying enough attention to a stray message like this, "authority November-Yankee Sierra-Romeo-One. This is Commander Micah Shepard, service number 5923-AC-2826. I am trying to reach Earth Councilor, Captain David Anderson. I repeat, this is an emergency broadcast …." For almost five minutes, she kept sending the same message until she finally got a hit.

"I'm sorry," a sharp female voice broke in, "but you are violating Alliance network protocols and need to remove yourself immediately."

Micah sighed. Not _quite_ the reception she'd hoped for, but it was a start. Acknowledgement of her transmission was a beginning. "I repeat," she continued, "this is Commander Micah Shepard, service number 5923-AC-2826. I need to speak with Councilor David Anderson -"

"Ma'am, what you need to do is remove yourself from this network. Any further activity on your part could result in legal action against you."

A loud crashing outside of the room alerted Micah that her time was running short. "So be it!" she all but shouted into the microphone. "I say again, this is Commander Micah Shepard, service number 5923-AC-2826, authority November-Yankee Sierra-Romeo-One. I am requesting emergency contact with Councilor David Anderson."

"If you are who you say you are," a second, deeper and definitely male voice interrupted, "then provide us with the current security protocols."

"Are you kidding me?" she countered, her tone rising with irritation. "I've been dead for two years! How the hell am I supposed to know the current security protocols?"

"Ma'am, you need the passcode to -"

"Goddamn it!" she shouted, wincing at another loud crashing outside of the room. Lowering her voice again, she hissed, "Contact Councilor Anderson. Tell him Micah Shepard wants to set up a meeting at the Valhallan Threshold via the Decoris System." Dear god, she hoped Anderson remembered the two safety phrases that they'd set up years before when her father was still alive. They had been an extra security measure set into place for a time such as this if she ever would need to contact Anderson or Hackett in an emergency.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. You're going to have to remove yourself -"

"Lieutenant! Stand down!"

Micah nearly collapsed in relief at the sound of the familiar voice. "Admiral?" she whispered.

"Shepard, is that you?" Was that a sigh of relief in his tone?

"Yes, sir," she returned quickly.

"Unless you've found a way to speak from the Beyond …."

Micah actually laughed, despite another hard whack against the wall. One she was certain had to have been heard from his end of things. "Sir, as Mark Twain once so eloquently put it, 'The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.'"

"Indeed." Another crash. "Where are you, Commander? It sounds as if you're needing assistance."

She winced. "Umm … yeah, that would be accurate," she replied. "I've no idea where I am, Admiral. All I know is it's a Cerberus facility called Lazarus Station."

"Cerberus?"

Had she imagined the sound of walls forming then? "Sir … I will gladly tell you and anyone else who wants to hear it all that I know … but I'm sort of needing help to get out of here … like yesterday."

There was a pause over the line, and for the briefest of moments, Micah felt fear. Fear that they wouldn't believe her. Fear that help would not be given. Fear that she would end up dying all over again, only this time at the hands of some heavy mech that had been programmed to attack her and the others ….

"Stay on this line, Shepard," the Admiral's voice finally returned. "My communications people are tracking it. We've got a shuttle headed in your direction." Another hesitation. "Okay, looks like they've traced it. Thankfully, you're not too far away. Can you get to a docking area?"

The sound of metal tearing away from metal seared the room, causing Micah to flinch. "Heading there now, Admiral. The sooner your pilot is there, the better I think," she told him before rising to her feet. The blurred vision from earlier was still there, but she couldn't allow that to stop her. If she was going to make it to the docking bay, she was going to need to fight her way through these debilitating issues. In a move that brought back memories of a much happier, and certainly younger, time, she gathered her focus and launched the largest, strongest throw she could given that she'd been out of action for the better part of two years. Pistol she'd been given - what, an hour before? - in hand, she emptied the clip into the machine as she hurried past it. As she rounded a corner, she heard the satisfying sounds of an explosion.

The rest of the journey back to the docking bay was relatively uneventful, as she was able to follow the path taken earlier. She found a few extra clips of ammunition, though, and grabbed them just in case. Working her way through, she closed the series of doors behind her, engaged locking mechanisms, and finally made her way out to the landing platform just as she caught sight of a shuttle bearing the Alliance colors and logo approaching. Flagging them down with her arms, she remained back from the platform until it had set down and the door opened. Only then did she move towards it, accepting the hand from the Alliance marine at the door. As soon as she was inside, the door closed and the shuttlecraft began to move again.

"You know," a familiar voice called back to her, "I've heard of people rising from the dead, but I never thought I'd see it for myself."

Chuckling, overcome with such relief that she thought she might fall over if she tried to stand, Micah retorted, "You and me both, Joker."

The trip back to the ship took about a half hour all told, and after docking and greeting Admiral Hackett in person she was guided along by the Admiral to the med bay. A quick examination by the doctor in which he stated she was fine, if a bit undernourished, Hackett then escorted her to the conference room. "I've spoken with Anderson," he told her while closing the door behind them and taking a seat, "and we'll be taking you to the Citadel at once. I will admit, Commander, you've managed to turn Alliance High Command and the Council on their ear with your sudden unexplained reappearance."

Micah sighed and nodded. "Yes, sir, I get that," she told him. "And, had I been able, I certainly would have made contact before now, but seeing as I've only been awake for about," she glanced at her omni-tool, "a couple hours or so ..." The rest she let slide off into the air around them.

"Hmm."

She watched him sit back, eyes studying her closely. Searching for a safe topic of discussion, she asked, "Sir? My former crew … my mother? Can I get word to them? Let them know I'm safe?"

"Actually, Commander," his continued use of her rank was not lost on her at that moment, "I believe that Alliance Command wishes to get you thoroughly evaluated - physically, mentally and so on - before moving forward with any other such steps."

She blinked in momentary confusion before his words settled around her. Eyes narrowing, she folded her arms across her chest. "I'm back alive for a couple of hours and you've already got a mission for me?" she countered. A part of her wanted to storm out of the room, cursing up a blue streak. Couldn't she even contact her family and friends first?

There was an apology in his eyes as he spoke, but his voice was firm and brooked no argument. "Times have changed, Commander. Certain events, including the one that destroyed the _Normandy_, are on an increase and with no reasonable explanation. Beyond that, I don't have much else I can tell you at this point. However, Anderson has led me to believe that a full briefing awaits you once you arrive at the Citadel."

Sighing, Micah slumped back in her seat. "Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like this one bit?" she muttered. 'Full briefing.' Yeah, that had to mean they were planning to put her back to work … but why not allow her to contact family and friends? That thought continued to bother her.

Hackett, to his credit, didn't contradict her or offer her platitudes. Instead, he began briefing her on some of the specifics of events since that day over two years before. She could see the pattern that was emerging, the concern that he'd spoken around but hinted at so heavily. There was a great concern there … but it seemed as if the Alliance was wanting to distance itself from it. Something wasn't adding up right, and she had the sneaky suspicion she was about to be drawn into the middle of it ….


	2. The Fall of the Normandy

_**A/N:**__ I have been warned by my beta that the reader may require a box of kleenex for this chapter ..._

* * *

_[[2183 - 2 years earlier]]_

The time for awkwardness and embarrassment should have been long past by now, Kaidan thought as he made his way towards her cabin, coffee in hand. It wasn't like it was a huge secret anymore to the rest of the crew, but each time he caught a side-glance in his direction, or overheard a slightly amused (if encouraging) chuckle, or even received a knowing wink from one of his fellow crewmates, Kaidan couldn't help the resultant flaring of heat that rose to his cheeks. The only really good aspect of it was that, though he and Shepard were disregarding regulations, the crew didn't seem to care. Not really. They were in full support of their Commander and, by extension, him. They'd been behind her from the beginning, stood by her when they'd taken the ship and gone after Saren on Ilos. They were a team; her family. She'd led them to hell and back these past few months and if she'd decided to find a bit of happiness with the Staff Lieutenant, then so be it.

But that didn't mean they couldn't give _him_ a bit of a hard time about it.

At first, this had bothered Kaidan, but he'd kept it to himself. He was, by nature, a private person. His concern wasn't so much for himself, either, but more that if Micah caught onto it she might find it a distraction, and not necessarily the good kind. Realization only came after Dr. Chakwas had pointed out to him that the crew was actually giving their support and blessing in their own way. Of course, Kaidan found it just a little odd to think that the rest of the crew were thinking of him and Shepard in those terms. He supposed it was small consolation that at least they weren't aware quite how long he and Micah had been involved.

He entered the cabin now using his elbow to trigger the door and found her sitting at her desk on the far side of the room, head down, reading information on a datapad. He couldn't help the smirk that curved at his lips as he entered the room. To see her, his 'firecracker,' so focused on the task at hand was, in some ways, quite the contradiction. Not that she couldn't. If that were the case, he doubted she'd ever have made it this far up the chain of command, let alone through N7 training. For that matter, he knew full and well that it was her skillful leadership that had led them this far. Others might have come close, done a good job, but she was the one who had succeeded. Yet another piece of the never-ending puzzle that was Commander Micah Shepard.

Crossing the room, he set one of the cups down next to her and turned to lean back casually against the wall, his own cup in hand. "Hey," he greeted her quietly.

Micah lifted her eyes to meet his, the smile she saved only for him pulling across her lips as she did so. "Hey," she returned while reaching for the mug. Pushing away from the desk, she rose and stepped over to stand in front of him as she tossed the datapad onto the surface. "Thanks," she told him while rising a bit on her toes and brushing her lips lightly against his, "for this."

Kaidan's arm shot out to wrap around her hip and hold her in place for a moment longer than was absolutely necessary, the kiss lingering between them. "You're more than welcome," he replied allowing his voice to lower to the rumbling baritone he knew she loved. Sure enough, he felt her shiver beneath his hand. It was silly how much satisfaction he could take from something so small as that, but he would take it where he could find it.

Micah groaned softly, but forced herself to back away a step. They both would be on duty shortly. They didn't have time for anything else, sadly. Gesturing towards the table where they could both sit together and talk, she asked, "So, given much thought about what you plan to do when we get leave?" As soon as this mission was complete, Anderson had promised the entire crew of the _Normandy_ an extended shore leave. At the moment, it was the number two topic of discussion onboard the ship. Micah knew all too well what number one was despite the crew's attempt to be discreet.

Kaidan took a seat and rolled the stiffness from his shoulders before responding. "Thought about heading back to Earth," he finally explained. "It's been awhile since I saw my folks last. Maybe visit a few friends. I don't know for certain."

Micah eyed him over the brim of her cup. "Sounds like a good plan," she mused in a neutral tone.

He shrugged. "More like typical," he told her.

Micah noted a flicker in his eyes as she watched him, a slight spark that was emphasized by the almost smirk at his lips. So, she realized, he was going to leave it up to her? Well then, challenge accepted.

"Have you made your plans yet?" he asked.

Micah swallowed back her amusement. "Oh, I thought I might do a bit of traveling," she commented, her fingers playing with the handle to her mug. "Planned the whole trip out. London. Paris. Rome. Maybe Berlin. Just me and mum." She flashed him a grin. "You know, just 'the girls' kinda thing." Sighing, she leaned back, head resting against the chair, eyes closing briefly. "It's been forever since we did something together ..."

Kaidan thought he heard a lingering wistfulness in her tone. "But?"

Opening her eyes, she met his gaze. "But. She's being deployed early. She and the _Kilimanjaro_ are transporting troops off to several colonies in the Attican Traverse."

"Ah. That's too bad."

"Yeah." She peeked a side glance in his direction and watched him more closely now while taking a sip of her drink. "Leaves me stuck with an extra ticket. No one to shop or play tourist with." Would he take the bait, she wondered. "Unless, of course, you know someone who might be interested ...?"

Kaidan glanced down into his cup while swallowing back a chuckle. "I might know ... someone," he replied casually after a moment. "Steady hand with a camera. Fairly knowledgeable about history and geography. Knows how to locate the best steak sandwich restaurants anywhere in the galaxy."

Micah chuckled. "Sounds perfect," she replied before sipping at her coffee once more.

Kaidan rose to his feet and stepped around the table to pull her up to his level. "Micah," he murmured, hand rising so his fingers could tangle in her dark auburn waves, "I'd go anywhere with you. You know that."

Turning her cheek into his palm, she sighed and murmured, "I do. I guess it's just the idea that it's … shore leave, you know? All official like?" Straightening, she gave him a knowing look. "Remember what happened the _last_ time we had shore leave together?"

Kaidan rolled his eyes. "That won't happen again," he replied. "This time we will …."

Micah shook her head. "You don't know that," she insisted. "Besides, I wouldn't just presume that you'd want to go with me, either."

He caught her by her shoulders and held her firm. "Look at me," he insisted, waiting patiently until she did just that. "All that matters is that we have some time together, right?" After a stubborn moment, he saw her nod once. "Then all you have to do is just say the -"

The rest of his words were cut off unexpectedly as the _Normandy_ suddenly lurched, a move that sent the both of them flying across the room and tumbling into the wall before dropping to the floor. Micah grunted in pain as her shoulder took a hard whack against the wall. A quick glance to her left assured her that Kaidan was alright as he began scrambling to his feet, moving to kneel beside her. He seemed intent upon her shoulder, but she waved him off as she pressed her comlink. "Joker? Status?"

Instead of the pilot responding, however, both Micah and Kaidan heard warning alarms start blaring around them. Both reacted instinctively. "Go!" Micah told him, giving him a shove towards the door. "Suit up. I'll catch up with you in a minute." She then reached for her own suit, yanking it on while Kaidan exited through the door.

As he made his way back to find Micah, Kaidan finally managed to get through to Joker via his comlink. But the pilot was refusing to leave his post. Kaidan tried to convince him, even threatened to head up there and toss Joker into the escape pod himself, but still the pilot refused, insisting wholeheartedly that he could still save the ship. By the time Kaidan reached Micah's side, the few minutes that had passed felt more like an eternity. He found her prepping the emergency beacon, though, which told him that she was well aware of the severity of the situation. Once launched, the beacon would send an emergency message to the Alliance and give them a signal to track them. Micah was standing before the computer screen, waiting for it to finish loading their current coordinates so it could be launched. In the briefest of moments as he arrived and took the fire extinguisher she handed his way, Kaidan found he had to admire her for her calm and collected demeanor. Her presence, even as the ship disintegrated around them gave him a sense of stability during the crisis. How could they not survive with her leading the way?

A moment later, however, that admiration turned to frustration. He adamantly protested when she ordered him to supervise the crew evacuations. He knew she was right, of course, but it didn't make it any easier for him to leave her. Together, they were unstoppable. They'd proven that just weeks before aboard the Citadel. But now she was wanting to do this apart, alone ….

"Go, Kaidan. Now!" she ordered over the sounds of chaos and confusion surrounding them. "I'll go get Joker."

Reluctantly, and against his better judgement, he gave her one last, lingering look before scrambling off. The majority of the crew were already scrambling into escape pods when he arrived. Those who still remained, he ushered in through the open doors. Giving each pod a quick survey before closing and sealing the doors, he waited for the very last group to board before entering the pod with them. As he secured the brace over his shoulders, he felt the pod shudder and shake violently as it was ejected from the _Normandy_. Moments later, after the initial crush of sound dissipated, all became silent as they floated through the vast nothingness of space to the planet below.

Shepard lifted her head, eyes meeting Joker's one last time before the pod door sealed shut. "Shepard!" Joker's frantic voice still echoing in her ears, she reached out, stretching with all her might, and pressed the release button. The impact from the pod's ejection threw her backwards harshly just as another jolt and flash of the enemy's weapon sliced through the hull, however, and the shockwave of both actions sent her hurtling backwards into the wall, her head and shoulders slamming against the structure with great force. Her body began arcing in a completely new direction as a result, through the remains of the ship as it fell apart around her, leaving her adrift among the rubble. It was a sobering sight to see.

It took a moment to register, but it was a soft hissing sound, barely discernible over the sound of her breathing, that for the first time since her father's death years before had Micah suddenly panicking. Desperation had her bending and contorting, reaching madly and grasping towards the back of her survival suit, but she knew even as she made the motions, it would be too late.

Horror-struck, she heard her voice whisper, "Oh god … Kaidan … I'm so sorry …."

Head turning, eyes searching, she observed one of the escape pods entering the planet's atmosphere, the bright shimmering glow as it descended one of the last things she would ever see ….

The proximity alarm sounded and Kaidan heard one of the crew shout the alert to brace for impact, but even as he moved automatically to comply, his thoughts were elsewhere. _Micah!_

The jolt of the pod landing was a shock, but compared to his current emotional state, even as well hidden as it was, it was nothing. Once the pod came to a full stop, though, he was forced to return to the practicalities of the situation at hand. Priorities. Crew first. Then find Shepard.

Over the next several hours, Kaidan's attentions were consumed by the concerns of organizing a makeshift camp for the surviving members of the crew. One after another, the pods descended and stragglers began to convene in one, centralized location where several of the pods had landed close to each other.

He had help, of course. Liara was one of the first to find him, followed shortly thereafter by Garrus, Wrex and Tali. Dr. Chakwas, too, helped. She had been in the same pod as Kaidan, and had immediately taken charge, turning their escape pod into a makeshift emergency room of sorts for those in need of medical care. The arrival of the last pod nearby their camp caught Kaidan's attention and had him rushing over. With assistance from some of the other crew, they managed to get the door open. Inside, however, it became immediately clear that something had gone wrong. Horribly, horribly wrong ….

Hannah Shepard was too absorbed in her current checklist to notice the lone figure approaching her, standing silently off to the side. She had a half hour window before the _Kilimanjaro_ was due to leave port, and in that time three more checklists to complete. She had no time for distractions.

Her concentration was broken, however, by someone clearing his throat. Turning, her eyes widened in surprise to find the old, familiar face standing there. Old friend. Earth Councilor. And an all too familiar look on his face. Swallowing tightly, Hannah passed her datapad of to a junior officer, hoping the younger man wouldn't notice her shaking hands. "Nichols, finish this and get it to the Captain, please."

"Yes, ma'am."

Stepping forward, Hannah offered Anderson a quick salute. "David," she greeted him, hearing her voice crack just a bit. "Somehow, I get the feeling you didn't stop by to wish us _bon voyage_." Docking at the Citadel for the past week had given the ship time to complete final preparations for their long deployment.

Anderson nodded. "Hannah." Gesturing towards the exit, he led her off the ship to the docking area. "I wish it was something that simple."

Biting at her lip, she met his gaze with her own. "Tell me," she said finally. "It's … bad. Isn't it?"

Anderson sighed, but nodded. "I'm afraid so," he replied.

"How bad?"

"The _Normandy_ was lost," he explained. "It happened over Alchera. They came under attack by an unknown force."

The silence was broken only by the sound of Hannah's breath hitching. "David, what are you saying?"

Anderson reached an arm out to brace her shoulder. "She's gone, Hannah," he finally told her, his voice betraying his own emotional reaction. "I'm so sorry."

_No! It wasn't possible! Not Micah!_

Hannah found herself wanting to scream in denial, adamant that Anderson had to be mistaken. Micah was N7. She was the best of the best. One of the Alliance's most elite and best trained soldiers. She'd stopped Saren and the geth at the Citadel just the month before ….

_NO! She's all I have left!_

"Hannah?"

"I'm … alright." She wasn't though. Not really. She wondered if she ever would be again.

"Come with me," Anderson advised gently, arm sliding to her elbow to guide her away from the ship and towards the elevators. "The Captain's been notified, your replacement is on his way."

"David …." She felt tears begin leaking as they stepped onto the lift.

"You won't be alone," he promised as he set their destination for the embassies. "You won't have to go through this by yourself."

Hannah nodded absently, though a small voice inside of her head whispered, _But I am the last one … of course, I'm alone …._

_One month later_

The past month had been a complete and utter nightmare. It had taken several days for rescue to arrive, but the emergency beacon Micah had launched had worked. During that time, though, Kaidan had focused on the job at hand, completely shutting down emotionally. Food. Shelter. Safety. Those were the necessities. It was what she would have focused on had she been there. It was what had kept him sane in those first few weeks of disbelief.

Tali had been the first to notice the toll it was taking, however. She spoke with Liara who then commented on it to Dr. Chakwas, and eventually it had resulted in the threat of a sedative and enforced rest if he would not voluntarily do so. Reluctantly, he'd handed the reins over to the others and sought out a bunk.

In his dreams, he heard her calling out his name, saw her stretching a hand out towards him, but forever remaining just out of reach.

When finally rescue did come, Kaidan was evacuated on a stretcher because he'd finally requested those sedatives from Dr. Chakwas, if only to silence her cries in his mind.

Upon arrival at the Citadel and health clearance from the medics, he'd found a bunk and sought refuge in sleep once more. For three whole days. Rising only to take care of personal needs, he'd returned to that state of blissful ignorance as soon as possible, relying on oblivion to take him from day to day.

But today that was no longer possible. He stood before the mirror, adjusting his dress blues, nerves eating away at his gut. Today, he would be forced to face the truth.

Today, he and everyone else would say their final goodbyes.

Enough of the Presidium had been cleared to provide room for the multitude of people of all races and species to come together and pay tribute to the woman who had saved them all from Saren and Sovereign. Thank god they didn't expect him to speak. That was being left to Anderson and Admiral Hackett. The Council, led no doubt by Councilor Tevos, would have some words to honor the first human Spectre. Ambassador Udina, too, was scheduled. Other representatives of the Alliance, the Council races, even some of her N7 comrades would be in attendance. These would be the official notices. Almost immediately after the incident, several places had arisen on the extranet where others could leave more personal messages. He had yet to work up the courage necessary to visit them, though.

Kaidan stood before the mirror one last, long moment, surveying his appearance with a critical eye. It would have to do. Deep down, he imagined she would laugh at all the fuss. She had liked to keep things simple, had told him that on more than one occasion over the years. Hell, he could still recollect with clarity the horror she'd felt when presented with the Star of Terra after Elysium. The idea of having to attend some sort of formal function usually caused her to break out in hives for days beforehand. But, he could do no less than be at his best for her one last time. She had meant everything to him, after all.

Regret.

Hannah stood ramrod straight, her years in service to the Alliance takin over even as she felt internally as if she were falling apart. But as she stood there, she realized quickly enough that if there was anything out of this whole experience that was truly bothering her, it was one simple thing: regret.

They should have spent more time together. She should have shown her daughter just how proud she was of her accomplishments over the years and at such a young age. She should have spent more time relating stories to her of Colton Shepard, given Micah the peace of mind she had so badly wanted when younger, no matter how painful it had been for Hannah personally.

Life was often filled with regrets, Hannah knew this, and now she would have to learn to live with some she hadn't expected. Like so many in similar situations, she'd always believed there would be time to fix things. Time had run out.

The memorial service was brief, and as it ended and the congregated guests began to filter out and away, Hannah spotted a somewhat familiar face nearby. His uniform identified his rank as lieutenant, but Hannah remembered him from one meeting some years before, refreshed only by recent views on vids from the events on the Citadel the month before. Ever watchful, she'd noted the way his eyes were still upon Micah at the time. And then, there had been that last message from Micah some weeks before.

_Mum - I know you've seen the news vids. You remember him, right? He's still here, in my life. He's important to me, mum. Says I'm important to him, too. Don't laugh, but … he's become very special to me. You know, the way dad was special to you. Just wanted you to know since we won't be able to talk about it on that trip we'd planned. Okay, gotta run … being sent off to clean up last pockets of geth resistance. Love you, mum …._

_Micah_

Taking a deep breath, Hannah excused herself from her escort and crossed to speak with him. "Lieutenant Alenko?"

Kaidan stiffened as he heard his name in a voice that sounded so much like hers. Turning, he acknowledged the summons. "Ma'am," he murmured.

He could see the lines of grief etched on her face, aging her a bit more than he recalled, but there was a slight sparkle in her eyes at his greeting. "Hannah, Lieutenant," she told him softly. "Call me Hannah."

He bit back a smile. Just as she had been before, he remembered. "Alright … Hannah."

There was a moment of awkward silence before Hannah turned, looped her arm through his, and asked, "Walk with me?"

Not wishing to be rude, Kaidan did as she asked. "You … can call me Kaidan, you know," he reminded her as he sought for some safe topic to discuss.

She gave him a gentle smile in response. "So you've told me," she replied. Kaidan frowned. She responded with a soft chuckle. "It may have been a few years, but I do remember you," she informed him.

They walked a short distance in a more companionable silence this time before she spoke again. "Kaidan … I've been asked to do something, and I … I think I need your assistance with it." She met his gaze then. "If you would be willing to help."

Sudden dread filled his gut. The look in her eyes suggested he wasn't going to like this much. "If I can, of course," he told her firmly. How could he not?

She squeezed his arm lightly. "I've been asked to clean out her apartment at Arcturus."

Memories hit him with a suddenness and a strength for which he found himself completely unprepared. "I - Of course," he finally managed, though inside he wondered if he had the strength to fulfill the promise.

He'd somehow made it through. The day had seemed to go on forever, but with Hannah's help, they had cleared all of the apartment. The boxes that were to be shipped out were piled neatly in the front room. The rest had been disposed of. Almost all of it was being sent to a storage facility Hannah had arranged until she thought of some better arrangement. As for himself, Kaidan had accepted a couple of photos … and one last thing...

_Hannah's eyes widened when they entered the bedroom. At first, Kaidan thought it had been simply because of the way it was decorated, or a the family photo on the dresser, but a quick glance at her had him realizing what it must be instead. _

_Slowly, she walked over and lifted the ancient toy into her hands, treating it almost reverently. "I … I'm surprised," she admitted in a choked voice. _

_"How come?" he asked, moving to stand beside her, watching as she stroked the fur of the teddy bear with shaking fingers._

_"She had one when she was younger," Hannah explained. Side glancing him, she continued, "most kids do at that age, I suppose. But Micah … she loved that bear. 'Mr. Buttons,' she called him." When she paused, Kaidan remained silent. "He had these two black buttons for eyes, you see."_

_Kaidan laughed softly. "Sounds practical."_

_Hannah's smile faded then. "It was. She was. So much like her father …. Anyway, when she was thirteen, there was an accident. Stupid, really. The ship was preparing for departure, one of the many vehicles delivering supplies wasn't paying attention, crashed into the ship's hull." She sighed heavily. "Crashed right into Micah's bedroom while she was unpacking."_

_Kaidan turned to stare at her, eyes widening at the thought. "You're kidding."_

_"Sadly, no. She was injured, pretty badly, but they got her out of there. She spent a month in the hospital with a broken hip, some internal injuries, but nothing that wouldn't … heal." Her fingers hesitated in their motions then, curling tightly into the furred toy. "All she wanted while in the hospital was that damned bear."_

_"But?"_

_"But, it and most of the rest of her belongings were destroyed in the crash and the fire that followed. Her father and I offered to get her another bear, but she refused. Said she only wanted Mr. Buttons." Hannah smiled through tears at that point. "Micah was a stubborn one. Just like her father."_

_Kaidan reached for the bear and was a bit surprised at how easily Hannah handed it over to him. "I got this for Micah on her eighteenth birthday," he explained. "The night before she left for basic. She called it … Kaidan-bear."_

_Hannah smiled and nodded. "That sounds like her." _

They'd discussed what to do with the bear for a while afterwards until, finally, Kaidan had agreed to keep it. The decision seemed to ease Hannah's mind at least, though Kaidan wondered if ever would his. Chances were it would just sit in the back of the closet in his room at his parents' house, forgotten.

Rising, he took one last wander through the nearly empty apartment, saying his final goodbyes, though deep inside he knew that it would be a very long time if ever that he succeeded in that regard.


	3. Plans Within Plans

_Cronos, 2183_

From his chair, he watched his companion prowl the room, pausing only to stop and stare out through the windows at the dying supergiant star beyond. They'd been discussing recent events, the effect of those events on their goals and plans for the future that they envisioned when the news had arrived. Through experience, he was able to contain his reaction from her, but she, either by choice or by lack of experience (he rather suspected the former rather than the latter knowing her as well as he did), was more than willing to vocalize her thoughts.

"Shepard did everything right. More than we could have hoped for. Saving the Citadel, even saving the Council. Humanity has the trust of the entire galaxy. And still, it's not enough."

His eyes upon her, though she stood with her back facing him, he took a long pull of his cigarette before responding. Exhaling the smoke in a cloud, he reminded her, "Our sacrifices have earned the Council's gratitude, but Shepard remains our best hope."

"But they're sending her to fight geth. Geth!" She turned to face him then and he could see the fire of indignation behind icy blue eyes. "We both know they're not the real threat. The Reapers are still out there."

"And it's up to us to stop them," he reminded her calmly.

She almost seemed to scoff at that. "The Council will never trust Cerberus. They'll never accept our help, even after everything humanity has accomplished." She was right enough on that account. He kept watching her eyes as she spoke, as she thought, realizing the moment she made the connection. She was incredibly intelligent, and he was, therefore, not surprised that she was able to make that jump in logic so easily. "But Shepard... They'll follow her. She's a hero, a bloody icon." And then doubt crept back in. "But she's just one woman. If we lose Shepard, humanity might well follow."

And therein was the sticking point .. but one with a seemingly simple solution. "Then see to it that we don't lose her," he advised.

Their eyes met and held for a long moment. She was the one to look away first, but he'd seen enough to know she received the message loud and clear. Now was the time for planning, for preparation. Whether the plans would be needed or not would remain to be seen.

_2183, Lazarus Station (several months later)_

Miranda stepped onto the platform and stood perfectly still for the first few moments, the scanner quickly relaying her image to the other end of the connection. Within moments, she was able to see him as well. Seated as usual, his eyes upon the screen in front of him not her, he nonetheless knew of her presence. "Report." His voice was short, curt, direct and to the point. As always. He was certainly willing to listen, as long as one didn't waste his valuable time. It was one thing they both had in common.

"Thanks to the assistance from the asari and the drell, we are now in possession of Shepard's body," Miranda informed him. "However, she's in worse condition than I'd thought she would be. I'm not at all sure that recovery will be possible now."

There was the briefest moment of hesitation before he reacted. "Your plan is sound," he told her. "Project Lazarus will move forward as planned."

Miranda nodded though he could not see it. "Of course."

At this point, she nearly turned away to leave, but something made her hesitate. And again, even though he was not facing her, he noticed. "You have something to add, Ms. Lawson?"

"I … had a thought," she finally ventured. She knew she was taking a risk with this, but then again, she had been taking risks most of her life. If he did not appreciate that about her, he would never have promoted her to lead this project. "I only bring it up now because it is early enough in the process we can make it work."

A pause, curiosity settling in. "And that is?"

"When Shepard is revived," Miranda would, for now at least, go on the assumption that the plan would work, "should we not have a plan in place to make certain she will be on our side? I think we both know her past feelings and actions towards Cerberus have not always been … favorable."

"What do you have in mind?" With this question, she noticed, he turned towards her at long last, finally giving her his full attention.

"A control chip," Miranda explained bluntly. "Something to ensure her loyalty, or at least that she remains on our side. It can be masked in the L5x biotic implant we give her …."

His answer was as short as it was immediate. "No."

She had expected this and was not unprepared to argue her point. "But, sir -"

"I want Shepard brought back the way she was before," he insisted, cigarette rising to his lips as he took a pull from it. "Anything else is unacceptable."

Miranda frowned. "And if she refuses to join us? Or, turns against us after agreeing to work with us?" she challenged. "What then?"

"Shepard has done more to advance humanity's cause than anyone, Miranda. Including Cerberus," he reminded her. "We both know that the reason for this is because of who she is, of her unique personality. She has a way of gathering people to her, of making them listen and then convincing them that the cause is a worthy one to follow. I want her brought back as she was for that very reason."

Miranda's eyes narrowed, her brow furrowing. "Still, if she goes against us ...? What makes you think she will even join our cause in the first place?"

He didn't bother to answer these questions. "As she was, Miranda. Nothing else."

Sighing, Miranda reluctantly nodded. "Your arrogance is going to come back to haunt you some day," she felt obliged to point out.

The man chuckled and took another drag from his cigarette. "Be that as it may, no chip. She must be as she was before. Shepard will not refuse us," he added after a moment. "She won't be able to help herself once she knows the truth of what is happening."

_2185 (3 months before awakening), Lazarus Station_

This time as the scanner brought up her image, she stood with her arms folded across her chest. "Status?" he asked immediately.

"Neurological activity continues to progress," Miranda informed him. "There may be some level of decreased ability at first, especially with the biotics until she becomes used to the updated implant, but it appears that this should only be temporary, and it certainly would be in following her reaction to when she received the L3 implant years ago."

There was a short silence as she watched him scan the datapad that contained her recent report regarding progress on Project Lazarus. "What is this about her waking early?" he asked, gesturing towards her with the datapad.

Miranda nodded. She had known he'd challenge her on that point. Anything out of the ordinary, he always did. "One of the side effects of her new cybernetics, aside from the improved strength and advanced healing abilities, appears to be a faster metabolization of drugs in her system. Wilson's numbers were off and Shepard began to come out of her pharmacological coma."

"Was she aware of what was going on around her?" he asked next.

Miranda nodded. "She appeared to be, yes. Despite some of the other health risks involved at the time, she did seem to be cognizant of her surroundings. She even reached out towards me as if trying to communicate."

A pause. "Interesting. Any negative side effects from that experience?"

She shook her head. "None that have been observed so far, no, but we did put her back under sedation as quickly as possible and she has remained in that state ever since." Granted, that had only been a few days before, but it was accurate.

He nodded and handed the datapad off to someone located off screen. "Good. Keep me informed."

The moment the connection broke, Miranda turned and left the room. There was still much to be done. While Shepard had been making good progress up to this point, and despite what she had told the Illusive Man, Miranda did have some concerns about the after effects of the experience. Then again, only time would tell.

She entered the room quietly to find Wilson hunched over one of the monitors. Glancing over his shoulder at her, he asked, "So, how'd the boss take it?"

Ignoring Wilson's question, Miranda crossed the room, pausing by the examination table to stare down at the unconscious woman before her. "Status?" she asked, echoing the Illusive Man's reaction just minutes before. There was still plenty of work to be done of they were to be successful in their mission to bring the Commander completely back.

"Still sedated," Wilson informed her. "If anything, she seems to be doing better since that little incident the other day."

Miranda frowned and looked over at him. "How do you mean?"

"I don't know how to explain it," he told her. Turning, he gestured her over and began pointing to several different graphs on the screen. "It's as if the stimuli she experienced triggered … something." His hands moved to bring up yet another screen before pointing at several results. "It sounds weird, but it's almost like it convinced her to … keep living."

"Hmm." Though she could not argue that the information he was showing her at present certainly seemed to indicate something along these lines, Miranda relied on facts and logic to support conclusions, not unsubstantiated claims. Pushing away from the terminal, she told him, "I want you to bring up the data for the month prior to her awakening and then each day since. If there's something we've missed, I want to know what it is so we can benefit from it." She'd be damned if she would miss any opportunity in this project.


	4. Moving On

_2185_

The Citadel.

As galactic locations went, he supposed it wasn't so bad. Sure, there were memories here that he would rather not face, but compared to those in other locations, he considered the ones here to be less daunting. Besides, he'd needed to find a place he could establish as 'home base,' and the thought of returning to Arcturus after what had happened just gave him chills. With some welcome assistance from a very understanding Councilor Anderson, Kaidan had managed to snag access to a small apartment on the Citadel. Over the past two years, it had served as home between assignments and deployments, but also as a place to hide.

Today, though, was something altogether different. Since that day over Alchera two years before, Kaidan felt he had lost a huge part of himself, a huge gaping hole into his soul. On the other hand, he had managed to find some semblance of comfort and support in a quite unexpected quarter through frequent contact and visits with Hannah Shepard. Today, on the day that would have been her thirty-first birthday, he and Hannah had met for dinner, remembering the good times and celebrating the memories of the woman whose life had brought them together.

But he'd been unprepared for his reaction to this particular visit. As he walked through the Presidium on his return home, he began to notice things that he had been purposely avoiding for months now. Too many memories … both good and bad. This evening, something deep inside had been broken loose and was now nudging him in this particular direction.

His gaze drifted over the area. Anymore, it was difficult to tell just how much damage had been done during Saren's attack. Oh, he knew exactly where to look, and there were certainly still signs that reconstruction was underway, but the evidence had become so few and far between, it would be easy for those who had not been here, for those who did not recollect the damage from first-hand experience, to forget the importance of it all.

Seeing it now, though ….

Sighing, Kaidan walked along, hands tucked into his pockets, eyes now vaguely focused on the lake beyond. _So many memories …. _ Friends, family, even Hannah Shepard herself had been telling him of late that it was time to let go of the past and move on. _"You're too young to be alone, and you know she wouldn't want that."_ Hannah's words from earlier that evening while good intentioned, were not ones he could agree with. Yet. Ever.

Part of a verse from a song he and Micah had listened to that last night in London, so many years before, came back to mind as he walked over to the railing and stared down one of the open arms before him.

_Tomorrow the world will seem a little clearer,_

_The planets align and all will be revealed …._

"Tomorrow," he murmured. A word he'd been telling himself for over two years now. Tomorrow the ache of loss would begin to fade. Tomorrow, things would begin to get easier. Tomorrow he would begin to move on. Everything focused on tomorrow.

Funny thing was, 'tomorrow' never seemed to come ….

_(two months later)_

These days it was difficult to find a way to unnerve him any more than that day over Alchera two years before had, but that didn't mean that there weren't times when it sure came close. The summons from Anderson wasn't quite close enough, but upon arrival and Anderson's announcement that the Council would be joining them shortly, well, that pushed him just a bit closer to the edge than he would have liked.

For two years he'd been burying himself professionally in his duties. Aside from the obvious fact that it kept him occupied, his brain engaged and therefore unable to venture off into personal memories he had yet to come to terms with, his handling of the aftermath of the _Normandy_'s destruction had earned him a promotion to Lieutenant Commander and all of the duties and responsibilities that went along with it. That it had been _her_ rank at the time of her death hadn't been lost on him, though, but instead of dwelling on that, he used her example as a guide for himself. Especially when things became difficult.

But for now he sat in Anderson's office in the Citadel embassies waiting for some indication of the nature of this particular summons. He didn't even want to try to guess the reason or need for the Council to join them.

Though now Councilor and Earth's representative on the Council, Anderson still did have influence in the Alliance Navy. Standard procedure had any official orders issued under Alliance Command, or at the very least by Admiral Hackett, but there were times (so scuttlebutt had it) when Anderson and the Alliance would team up with the Council. Usually on missions uncertain enough in nature that the Council wished to utilize what could only be called 'expendable resources.' That realization nearly had Kaidan grimacing as he sat. Turning his attention to the man across the desk from him, Kaidan finally spoke. "Sir, I'm not exactly sure why you called for me today."

Anderson chuckled. "No, I don't suppose you are," he replied. Leaning forward, Anderson handed a datapad across the desk. "Congratulations, _Staff_ Commander Alenko."

Kaidan blinked as he took the datapad in hand. Another promotion? So soon? It had only been two years …. "Sir?"

Anderson nodded towards the datapad. "You've earned it, son," he assured Kaidan, "but as you can see, there's an assignment to go along with it. And it's a big one."

Kaidan nodded, eyes dropping as he finally began to read the information before him. "Omega?" he murmured, his eyes returning to meet Anderson's. "Why Omega?"

"That will become clear shortly," Anderson explained, nodding towards the nearby vidcom that was currently flashing in standby mode. Kaidan knew this one linked specifically to the Council chambers in the Citadel Tower, the seat of Council power. So, they wouldn't be joining them in person then. "In the meantime, you need to know the rest."

Setting the datapad on the desk, Kaidan sat back in his seat. "The rest?"

"Hmm." Anderson handed across another datapad. "Have you ever heard of Fehl Prime?"

Kaidan took this datapad and nodded while beginning to read. Everyone in the Alliance had heard of the events on Fehl Prime just a few months before. It had been another in an ever increasing number of suspicious instances where human colonies were coming under attack by an unknown enemy. Colonists going missing without a trace. No evidence of attack. But this time, some intel had been salvaged ….

"Lieutenant James Vega," Anderson commented. "Typical marine. Found himself in a tough situation, acquitted himself well, earned a promotion to first Lieutenant." There was a moment of silence before Anderson added, "Sound familiar?"

Kaidan glanced over at the man, eyes narrowing at the compassion found there, but he said nothing. Before any further comment could be made, however, they were summoned across the room by the persistent beeping from the vidcom. Rising to his feet, Kaidan followed Anderson over.

"Councilors," Anderson greeted the three.

As usual, Kaidan noticed, it was Councilor Tevos, the asari ambassador, who spoke for the group. "Councilor Anderson. Commander Alenko."

"Councilors," Kaidan greeted them with a polite nod.

"Commander," Tevos began, "the Council finds itself in a difficult position. As you are no doubt aware, there have been an increasing number of 'attacks' upon human colonies by as of yet unnamed forces."

Kaidan nodded. What could he say to that observation that would not come across as inappropriate? What she was stating was common knowledge.

"While officially the Council cannot take a stance at this time …."

Anderson glanced at Kaidan and continued, "Unofficially and in joint cooperation with the Systems Alliance, we _can_ send in a small, covert team to investigate."

Kaidan remained silent as pieces of a much larger puzzle began dropping into place for him. 'Team' obviously was a reference to him and this Lieutenant Vega, else why would Anderson have mentioned the Lieutenant earlier? But what …?

"Over two months ago," the turian Councilor Sparatus clarified, "we sent an agent to Omega to make contact with a source known to have information regarding these attacks upon the human colonies. Up until a few weeks ago, we were receiving regular progress updates."

"'Regular' updates?" Kaidan echoed.

The salarian, Councilor Valern, nodded. "We believe it likely that our agent in place has been compromised. They did have known enemies, after all, and it is possible that -"

Kaidan thought he saw Anderson scowl darkly, but neither Anderson nor Kaidan said anything in response to the salarian.

Hand raising in a gesture of peace, Tevos continued, "Nothing has been decided one way or the other in regards to the status of this agent, nor will it be until we know for certain. Commander, we would like you and your team to go to Omega. Ideally, we would like for you to locate and extract our agent and the information they were after. If the agent _has_ been compromised, however, we would like for you to retrieve the information yourself and deliver it to the Council."

The fact that they did not specify what was to be done to the agent if they had been compromised was not lost on Kaidan.

"Additionally," Sparatus interjected, "there is a second agent in place. Though not associated specifically with this mission, it is highly likely that the two are in contact with each other."

Kaidan nodded his understanding and glanced over at Anderson. For his part, Anderson looked rather grim. "Commander, I don't think I need to explain the importance of this mission to you?"

Kaidan shook her head. "No, sir."

"Good. Your mission has Council approval, but all associated resources will be supplied by the Systems Alliance. If anyone questions you, you are there under Alliance authority."

"Yes, sir." Though, 'Alliance authority' in a place like Omega would mean very little, Kaidan knew.

"Do you have any questions for us, Commander?" Tevos asked as the meeting began to wind down.

"Actually," he broke in, "yes. Two, in fact. First, might I know the names of the agents we will be looking to contact?" he queried after a moment.

Sparatus responded. "Councilor Anderson has the details for you, Commander."

Kaidan nodded. Good enough. "Right. Second, isn't this a job better suited to a Council Spectre?" What authority would he as an officer of the Alliance Navy have over an agent for the Council?

"Commander," Valern replied, "you have been selected precisely because you are not a Spectre and have no Spectre connection."

Kaidan frowned, waiting to see if either of the other councilors would expand upon that, but they remained silent. Not surprising, he realized. He'd been with Micah on many of the occasions when she'd spoken with the Council and recalled their less than … complete briefings. "Good luck, Commander," Tevos told him. Moments later, the connection was broken.

Anderson led the way back across the room. Handing over a third datapad and given the previous discussion, Kaidan was not surprised to find that this one was password protected. Sliding his forefinger across the scanner, he soon had access:

**_Agent_**_:__ Code Name: Lazarus_

_race: human_

_gender: data not available at this time_

_details: data not available at this time_

_Known Adversaries:__ Cerberus_

**_Agent's Target_**_:__ Aria T'Loak_

_race: asari_

_location: Afterlife, Omega_

_occupation: de facto ruler of Omega_

_aka: Pirate Queen of Omega_

_details: former asari commando, very powerful biotic_

**_Possible Affiliates_**_:_

_Code Name__: Archangel_

_race: unknown_

_details: noted sniper, technical specialist, strategist_

_location: slums of Omega, Kima District_

_Code Name__: The Professor_

_race: salarian_

_details: doctor, scientist, bioweapons specialist, possible former STG_

_location: slums of Omega, Gozu District_

_Known Adversaries:_

_Blue Suns_

_Eclipse_

_Blood Pack_

Overall, not a lot to go on, but certainly it was better than the alternative. They would not be going in completely blindt. Still would be like looking for a needle in a haystack, so to speak.

"Questions?" Anderson asked after a few minutes.

Kaidan mused silently for a moment, allowing himself to fall into his 'focus mode.' It was something he could do well. Almost too well at times. "Omega," he finally said, eyes lifting to meet Anderson's. "I've never been there before. Do we have anymore details on these locations? I mean, specifics, not generalities."

Anderson shook his head. "No. Though, your partner, Lieutenant Vega, knows Omega fairly well, I believe. His insights should be a valuable asset in that regard."

Again, Kaidan chose a moment of thoughtful silence. He thought over what he knew so far. His mission, his team, the data he'd just been handed, but inevitably, he kept returning to this Lieutenant Vega. While Kaidan had heard of the events on Fehl Prime, he knew nothing specific about the man he was to be partnered with except that he was a marine, apparently used to being sent into difficult situations, and knew Omega 'fairly well.' Okay, that was a bonus, but still not anything that gave them any sort of real advantage. What was it, then, that they had in common that would convince Anderson they would be good partners?

And then it hit him as the memories of what he'd heard about the events at Fehl Prime came back to him. But … should he say anything? Could he?

Anderson must have noticed a change. "Permission to speak freely, Commander."

"I guess I'm just a little curious, sir," Kaidan began. He wanted to find a way to ask this without it coming out wrong.

"About?"

"This … Lieutenant Vega."

Anderson nodded. "Marine. Damn good soldier. Able to make command decisions under pressure."

"Yeah." That reinforced some of his assumptions. "Not quite what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?"

Kaidan frowned as he tried to put words to his thoughts. "I guess I'm wondering if you are pairing us up because you are wanting me to watch over him, or maybe him to watch over me? That's all."

Anderson nodded his understanding. "A little bit of both, actually," he replied and then in a slightly gentler tone, "It's been over two years, Commander. Don't you think it's time to move forward? After all, you never know who might be right around the next corner."

Kaidan swallowed tightly, his eyes dropping back to the datapad in his hand. It would not be appropriate for him to respond to that comment one way or another, despite the fact that Anderson had been one of the few who fully knew the extent of the relationship Kaidan and Micah had once had. But having him echo words that Hannah Shepard had only spoken a few months before … had she solicited Anderson's assistance in this, Kaidan couldn't help but wonder.

As if sensing he would get no further reaction, Anderson asked, "Any more questions?"

"Captain Shepard, sir," Kaidan interjected. "Is her ship docked, or -"

Anderson shook his head. "Sadly, no. She was assigned recently to the _SSV Orizaba_, which you've no doubt heard, and has left on assignment."

Kaidan straightened then, lifting his hand in salute. Anderson might be Councilor, but he was still Alliance Navy. "Right. That's all, sir."

Anderson returned the salute. "Good. Go grab your things and head to docking bay D-17. The _SSV Hastings_ will transport you and Lieutenant Vega to Omega. Equipment is already on board. Vega, too." He extended his hand towards Kaidan. "Good luck, Commander."

Was Kaidan imagining it, or was there a slight glint of mischief in Anderson's eyes as he shook the proffered hand. "Thank you, sir. I'll be in touch."

It didn't take him long to pack a bag and head to the docking bay. Before an hour had passed, Kaidan had boarded the _Hastings_ and was escorted to the crew deck to meet his new 'partner.' A younger man, one who was clearly the 'muscle' of any mission if his build meant anything, he was quick to jump to his feet and snap out a salute, Kaidan noticed. "Lieutenant Vega," Kaidan greeted him with a returning salute.

"Commander. We have a mission?"

Kaidan's brow lifted at the question. "You weren't briefed?"

The younger man shook his head, sitting back down at the table where he'd left a cup of what to Kaidan smelled like coffee. "No, sir. I was told you'd fill me in when you got here."

Kaidan nodded his understanding and set his kit on the chair beside him before seating himself. Opening the bag, he pulled one of the datapads Anderson had given him out. Logging in, he handed it over to Vega. "Take a look at this," he told him.

Vega took the pad and began reading, Kaidan noted. He watched the frown furrow the younger man's brow as he continued on. Once done, he tossed the datapad back across the table and reached for his mug, taking a long drink before speaking. "Omega, huh?" He rolled his around and Kaidan could hear the man's neck popping as he stretched. "This could get interesting."

Kaidan chuckled softly. "That's one way to put it," he agreed. "Anderson says you've been there before?"

Vega nodded. "Yeah. Couple years back I spent a few days there," he explained. "Then, after …," he hesitated a moment before continuing. "Hmm. Well, couple of months ago, I returned for a while. Not exactly the nicest place in the galaxy."

"So I gather."

Vega took another drink from his mug. "So, what's the plan?"

Kaidan replaced the datapad in his bag and rose to his feet, saying "Just let me grab some of that coffee and I'll tell you what I have in mind."


	5. Omega

_Apologies to anyone who may have read the chapter posted just a short while ago. My folder where I keep them all was somehow rearranged out of order and I grabbed the one that follows THIS chapter first. So, THIS is the proper chapter four ... the other will follow on Thursday, after it's been properly beta'd. Sorry for any confusion! (You know it's a Monday when ...)_

* * *

Omega.

Kaidan had heard stories, of course. Given the reputation of the asteroid, stories along describing Omega as one of those types of places that tended to gather the worst elements in the galaxy were common. After a couple of days there, Kaidan could easily understand why. Omega certainly stood in stark contrast to places like the Citadel, for example. Then again, there were some similarities, even if they were only vague ones. As he and Vega walked through the streets of the old space station, he couldn't find one race that was not represented in some way or another there. Batarians, vorcha … even quarians, and this was in addition to varying numbers of some of the Council species present. The upside to the entire situation, Kaidan figured, was that he and Vega were just two more in a large melting pot that numbered in the millions.

But be that as it all might, at the moment the majority of his interest was more in finding a place to eat for the evening. A glance over at his companion, though, had Kaidan frowning. "You do realize," he commented dryly, "that the point of this exercise is to remain under cover, right?"

The younger man walking - or perhaps strutting might be more accurate - beside him chuckled good naturedly. "You do realize that they'll make us for Alliance types the minute they see us, don't you?" he challenged back.

Kaidan sighed to himself. Sad to say, he was afraid the Lieutenant was right. Though they'd exchanged all their Alliance issued gear for some less conspicuous (which he hoped didn't also equate into less accurate or effective) items more commonly found and used among the various groups of mercenaries to be found in the Terminus Systems, there were still some things that would always and clearly set them apart from the rest of the crowd here. One of the most obvious was pride. Kaidan could see it in the younger man, from the way he wore his clothing to the ramrod straight posture as he walked. Thing was, they could make all the cosmetic changes they wanted, but no matter what they did, there was no way to undo that kind of training.

_And if he's that bad,_ Kaidan thought to himself, _I'm worse._ Twice as long in service. Twice as difficult to break the habit. What was it his grandfather had once said when he was young? _Hard to teach an old dog new tricks._ Old dog. Yeah, that was him all right. But, he wasn't about to admit that to Vega. "We'll make it work," he replied instead. That was partially why he'd settled on an infiltration plan that presented them as disillusioned, 'former' Alliance members intent upon joining up with one of the mercenary groups. That would, hopefully, explain away some of the more obvious tells.

James chuckled heartily. "Whatever you say, _jefe_," he replied.

Sadly, it would no doubt take more than a spattering of Spanish and the Lieutenant's seemingly natural inclination towards insolence to get them through this safely, or at least undetected, Kaidan suspected. When they did finally get through to the other side, he wondered if he could manage the opportunity to explain to the Council and, to a lesser extent, the Alliance just how having time for preparation for missions like this was an advantage.

Shoving his worries aside, he knew it was time to focus on certain practicalities of survival that still needed to be taken care of. That was why they were currently heading towards _Afterlife._

They neared the nightclub to find a line reaching out and around the corner for quite a ways. Frowning, Kaidan glanced over at his companion. "Are you sure about this?" he asked as they by-passed the line. James said something quietly to one of the 'guards' then and they were granted immediate entrance.

"Hey, man, we have to eat, right?" Vega challenged.

"Well, yeah, but at a nightclub?" Kaidan asked. There had to be other options, other places that were less showy, less conspicuous, less in your face … less likely to cause a migraine in under five minutes.

"Honestly," James countered as he led the way towards the main doors, "I wouldn't trust the food anywhere else. Least here you know you have half a chance of the food not killing you. Besides," he added with a light nudge of his elbow into Kaidan's shoulder, "as I heard it, Aria T'Loak practically owns this place, and _she's_ the closest thing to law on this rock. Do you really think anyone's gonna fuck with our food while we're here?"

"Hmm." Kaidan was certain the younger man was over exaggerating, but he wasn't so confident that he'd call him out on it. At least, not just then and certainly not while inside this place. If necessary, he could revisit the topic later after they'd left and safely made it back to the hovel of an apartment they were using as their base for this operation.

They entered through the main door side by side and the first thing Kaidan noticed, aside from the sheer volume of the wall of sound that met them was that there were people _every_where. Standing. Sitting. At the bar. On the dance floor. To call the place crowded would be an understatement. How they were supposed to even find a place to sit and have a meal was beyond him.

Somehow, though, they did end up at a table. It was small, sure, but it was out in the open and certainly provided a view of most of the place. The only area out of direct line of sight contained the private booths behind them and from what Kaidan had observed on entry, those cost more than a pretty penny and were meant for 'private sessions' with Aria's dancers. No, this table would be fine.

They sat, eventually ordered, and after a while food was brought out and set before them. By that time, Kaidan could feel the beginnings of a headache, but he ignored it as best he could for the time being. They were here because they had a job to do. A job where they needed to find a way to make contact with someone who was a mystery to them.

Since their arrival, they hadn't been able to find any leads on this Agent Lazarus. They had asked around a bit, on the off chance that they were going by 'Lazarus' as their code name, but so far no hits. As for the potential contacts they'd been given, the doctor appeared for all intents and purposes to be locked into the slums of the Gozu District because of a quarantine against some sort of plague. That had been unexpected, but after listening in to a few conversations around them along the way, they'd discovered a few of the details behind the epidemic. Apparently, humans weren't affected by it, so they might still be able to work their way into the area. And if not, well, they would find another way in.

But the doctor was not alone in the challenges he was facing. Archangel, too, was having some issues it appeared. The break here had come from the landlord of their apartment who had made some off-handed comment about what a shame it was that someone like Archangel would end up destroyed - because honestly, with all three major mercenary groups after him, how could he survive, right? - when all he was doing was watching out for those who had a hard time watching out for themselves. After the landlord's departure and some more in depth discussion between them, Kaidan and James had come to the conclusion that maybe if they could get in and 'assist' the merc groups trying to take the man down, they would have a good chance of making it to see him. Assuming, that was, that he didn't shoot them on sight before they could speak or that the mercs got a streak of good luck and Archangel was killed before they could reach him. It was a risk, of course, but one they decided they would have to chance if they were to make any progress whatsoever in their investigation. Something had to give somewhere, right?

From what they'd learned so far in further reconnaissance, the merc groups were hiring freelancers which James felt was just a fancy way of saying 'target practice' or 'cannon fodder,' to send in a distraction for Archangel from the main push that the mercs intended to make. The when and the where and the how of the attack, James and Kaidan hoped to find out this evening. Tonight, the merc recruiters also happened to be in _Afterlife_ ("How convenient," Kaidan muttered. James shrugged and continued eating. "Hey, man, I got no control over it.") looking for able bodies. This was the chance they'd been hoping for.

But first, as originally planned, they ate. And Kaidan could admit that it wasn't half bad, and that James' theory of it being safe enough for them was probably right on the ball. But still, the place was just a bit too flashy for his tastes, and he would be glad when they had the chance to leave. He could appreciate good music, a party atmosphere and good company like anyone else, it was just that this place reminded him of ….

_2183, Flux, Citadel_

As clubs went, _Flux_ wasn't bad, Kaidan thought. Not particularly his type of place, but Micah seemed to enjoy it alright. Even Ashley - he glanced up the stairs to see her still talking with the guy she'd been engaged in conversation with for … what, two hours now? - seemed to be enjoying herself.

"Hey."

Kaidan turned as Micah stood and reached out to tug on his hand. "What?" he asked in return, following her lead out of instinct. "Where are we going?"

The sound of her giggle told him she was beginning to feel the drinks she'd had this evening. Only a few, he decided it was nice to see her relaxing a bit. After the tense days and weeks so far spent chasing after Saren, mission after mission searching for him or any leads, it was nice to see her let loose for a while. She had given the crew two days to relax before they headed off to Virmire; two days to 'get their heads in a better place,' as she'd put it while the _Normandy_ underwent some maintenance and reprovisioned. Tonight had surprised him, but the idea had caught on with him and Ashely and a few other members of the crew, and surprisingly, Shepard had taken her own advice as well. She'd been so very careful on this deployment to come across as the commander to everyone, to present the image one might expect of a person in charge who knew what they were doing.

"I want to dance," she told him as she tugged on his arm again.

That had him laughing. Okay, so maybe the drinks were getting to him too. "_You_ want to dance? Seriously?" he teased, though he still followed her onto the dance floor. "After the last time we were here?"

"That was hardly fair," she returned with a smirk playing at her lips. "Garrus and Wrex caught me off guard. I didn't have time to prepare."

"So?" He knew what her counter argument would be, remembered all too clearly from the last time. Stepping up next to her, he reached out and pulled her close, wrapping an arm around her waist. In her eyes, he noticed a spark of mischief flare. "Fine," he told her. "Let's see if this actually _does_ make a difference as you claim."

The sound of her laughter as it echoed around them sent delightful chills through him. And he had to admit later that she'd been right. Having the right dance partner, or having the right audience maybe, had made all the difference for her.

James tossed back the last of his drink in one gulp, pushed his chair back from the table and rose to his feet with a burst of unbridled energy. "Right. I'm gonna go check it out," he announced. At Kaidan's questioning look, James' head tilted in the direction of the recruiting mercs nearby. He didn't wait for confirmation that the Commander had understood.

Kaidan, too, finished off his drink quickly. "Yeah, you do that," he muttered after the younger man. He should go with James probably, but right now he just … couldn't. The memories had struck quickly, almost as fiercely as one of his headaches, too. Rising to his feet, he began making his way across the room towards the bar. He shouldn't have come here, he realized too late. Too many people. Too much noise. The lights were aggravating an already burgeoning headache and the memories definitely weren't helping. For what it was, the food had been okay, but not great, and certainly not worth the number of credits they'd be paying for the evening. Hell, even the dancers weren't catching his attention. Kaidan snorted as he eased his way through the crowd. That last wasn't a surprise. No one had seemed to catch his eye since ….

An echo of familiarity, he would never be able to say what it was that caught his eye just then. The shade of dark coppery auburn? The curve of a wrist? The wiggle of a hip as she walked past? Whatever caused it, the flash of recognition was so quick Kaidan barely had time to recognize it for what it was. One moment he was fine and the next his heart was racing, his breathing labored and his eyes searching the room from side to side, shadow to shadow to determine where she'd gone. _It couldn't be …. Could it?_

Turning sharply, he began pushing his way back through the crowd in the last known direction he'd seen her. He ignored the protests of those whom he pressed aside. Was he imagining things? That particular shade of dark auburn had been so … unique to her, hadn't it? Was he only seeing her now because even after two years he still didn't want to accept her fate? Because not ten minutes before he'd been thinking about her? _Because he couldn't accept that she was no longer a part of his life?_

_There …._ He saw a shape vaguely reminiscent of another time. A slender hip. A well-muscled upper arm. A curve of the neck and shoulders that was so heart-breakingly familiar it still haunted his dreams to this day. But the face, the face he could not see because it was turned away from him as she moved quickly across the room. And the hair … dark coppery curls fell well past the shoulders down to near elbow length. When last he'd seen her, hers had barely touched her shoulders ….

And in the blink of an eye and the sudden press of the crowd around, she was gone leaving him standing alone in the middle of a group of strangers intent upon making their way onto the dance floor and dragging him with them. The struggle to disengage himself from the group took a few moments, after which he retreated back towards the table he and Vega had shared for their meal. He was about halfway there when Vega joined him. "Hey, man," he announced, a pleased grin widening across his features, "we're in. Just gotta grab our gear and meet up with the transport. You shoulda been there. It was -" When Kaidan didn't respond immediately, James frowned a bit and asked, "You okay, Kaidan? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Kaidan finally managed a short and slightly unsteady laugh. "Yeah," he bit out, his eyes still lingering in the direction he'd last seen her image before it had disappeared, "maybe I have."


	6. Death Makes Angels of Us All

_The title of this chapter comes from lyrics by Jim Morrison._

* * *

Lazarus carefully took the capped syringe Mordin handed over and pocketed it. "Right. Vaccine for Archangel. Any special procedure for giving it?"

"No, no," the salarian assured her, his sing-song tone ever practical as always. "Simple process. Injection like any other. Might be woozy for bit, but otherwise should be no unexpected side effects."

"Okay. Got anything else for me?" Mordin Solus was, after all, more than a mere doctor. Lazarus was not surprised when he handed over two datapads. These were pocketed as well. The time for reading them would come later.

"Some details on spread of the plague," he explained before rambling off into one of his usual long-winded if concise explanations. "Not of human origin as many think." Lazarus continued to listen with one ear while turning to face Dr. Daniel Abrams, Mordin's assistant, who was handing over another package. When Lazarus caught sight of this, a smile and a nod were quickly given. "Thanks." Daniel was good about providing the dextro provisions that Archangel needed to survive.

Turning attention back to Mordin, Lazarus noted that the salarian was beginning to wind down. "One thing more," he added, moving to hand over yet another item. Lazarus eyed it carefully before nodding and taking it. "Increased security measures," he explained as he handed over the M-6 Carnifex and several spare ammo clips. At the look of curiosity that Lazarus gave him, the doctor added, "Secured from Blue Suns member. No longer needed."

Lazarus chuckled, taking the weapon, examining it briefly before nodding contentment. It had taken several weeks to get to know Mordin well, but his meanings were now much easier to discern in conversation. 'No longer needed' obviously meant the merc was dead. "Thanks. Anything else?" A quick look over at Daniel reassured that he was satisfied as well.

Lazarus turned to leave then, but stopped when Mordin spoke up again. "Will find path to Archangel's base filled with many ... obstacles," he warned, finger rubbing against his chin. "Blue Suns, Eclipse, Blood Pack …. Hour of final attack is near."

Lazarus nodded and began walking out the door. Reports of the mercenaries' continued attacks against Archangel were moving fast across the station. "So I've heard. I should go then."

"Watch for potential ally," he advised, following Lazarus to the door of the clinic. "Talons looking to break in, make own mark, climb ladder of success. Replacement for others perhaps? Alliance with them could make for easier success against other mercenary groups."

Turning, Lazarus gave both doctors one last look and a nod. "Thank you."

Mordin smiled. "Thanks not necessary," he replied. "Had to be done." And without another word, he turned and headed back inside the clinic. Chuckling softly, Lazarus turned and began moving through the alleys and streets in the direction of Archangel's base of operations. Time, it appeared, was of the essence.

In the end, the path to the Kima district ended up quiet enough, at least until the final approach. By that point though, Lazarus was in familiar enough territory to sneak past scouting patrols and other groups, and lastly slip inside the base to deliver the items brought without any difficulty at all.

"Took you long enough to get here," Archangel commented without turning to look as Lazarus entered the top room, the 'perch' as they both referred to it.

"I can be fast or I can be accurate," Lazarus returned with a grin while crossing the room. "Or at least guarantee I arrive in one piece. Which do you prefer?"

Archangel turned away from the ledge, retreating further into the room where he could sit and remove his helmet in relative safety. Afterwards, he took the bundle that Lazarus handed over first into his hands and began unwrapping it. "Nice," he murmured after examining the food items inside, then he bundled it back up and set it aside. "Were you able to learn anything about the - Ow!"

While Archangel had been preoccupied with the food (which had been the plan, of course), Lazarus moved quickly and quietly around him, retrieved the syringe from the pocket, and found a spot on his neck in which to make the injection. "Don't be such a baby."

"You could at least warn someone when you're going to stick them like a … what's the human expression?"

"Pincushion?" Lazarus interjected mildly while taking a seat nearby and pulling out the datapads. There was also a small bundle of food that Lazarus had obtained before seeing Mordin that now was opened.

"Yeah, that's it." Sighing, hand still rubbing at the sore spot, he frowned over at his companion. "So, what was that for?"

Lazarus glanced up from reading and, after swallowing the bite of food, replied casually, "The good doctor has decided to use you as a guinea pig for some new super-hydro-nutrient rich dextro something or other ... He says it _probably_ won't kill you. I think. It's hard to tell with him as fast as he talks sometimes. Anyway, I figured the odds were good enough to try, so ..."

In the moment that it took for the words to register, Lazarus noted an almost panicked expression cross Archangel's face. Chuckling, Lazarus grinned impishly and continued, "You have absolutely no sense of humor, do you? You can relax … it was just his vaccine against that plague that's haunting the Gozu District. Said there should be no side effects except a bit of wooziness maybe."

"Heh," he mumbled between bites of food now that the panic had begun to subside. He should have known, he realized. It wasn't as if this hadn't happened before between them, though he thought Lazarus' sense of humor rather odd at times. "Let's just hope I live to tell about that someday."

Lazarus couldn't hide another smirk and sat back to continue reading. For a short while, silence reigned as they both ate and relaxed, finding a few moments of peace in the respite they'd been given. Archangel glanced over at one point and saw Lazarus frown. "What is it?" He wasn't surprised when the first datapad was handed over in his direction.

"Mordin gave me a summary of information regarding the plague. It's a little disturbing, but certainly fits in with some of the other bits and pieces of intel I've been able to pick up while I've been here," came the explanation. "I need to find a way to get this to the Council. Damn, I hope they've been paying attention to what I've been sending." If they hadn't, this was going to be an uphill battle all the way most likely.

Archangel hmm'd as he read. "The vorcha? How do they fit into …. oh, I see. Wow. Really?" His eyes widened. "The Collectors? Huh."

"Yeah," Lazarus replied, but attention was fully on the second datapad. And almost instantaneously, from one moment to the next, the world seemed to shift. A loud banging explosion outside of the complex shook the building to its foundation, but Lazarus had been bolting back upwards at the time anyway, a loud and resounding, "Fuck!" escaping at the same time and echoing throughout the room.

Moving quickly, Archangel grabbed his gun and hurried back over to his perch. Lifting the weapon, he used the scope to scout out the area below. "Looks like we've got company," he called back over his shoulder. "Lunch break is over."

"My information hasn't made it off Omega since ...," Lazarus returned sharply, still frozen in place. "Well, for several weeks now at least. Nothing's been sent! That son of a bitch!"

"Who?" Archangel lifted his rifle and shouldered it, sighting out his first target. He froze briefly as the words suddenly, frighteningly almost, hit him. He knew all too well the importance of the information being sent back to the Council. "You mean … Sidonis?"

"Yeah." Lazarus dropped the datapad and moved over beside Archangel on the perch. "Looks like you aren't the only one he betrayed."

They shared a long look before Archangel pointed out, "Sounds like his betrayal of you happened weeks before me, though."

Movement across the bridge caught both their attentions then, and as Archangel lifted the rifle to utilize the scope again, Lazarus crouched down and settled the dark hood over the head, completely hiding the face in the shadows. Next, out came out the Carnifex Mordin had provided.

"Now, this is interesting …."

Lazarus glanced up at Archangel. "What?" There had been something in his tone to hint that things were not as they seemed.

Archangel handed over the rifle and nodded across the way, an odd sort of look crossing his features as he did so. "If I'm right, it looks like the odds just got a whole hell of a lot better in our favor."

Lazarus used the scope to view the scene unfolding before them … and nearly choked when the figure came into focus and recognition sunk in. "Kaidan …." The whisper was so soft it was barely discernable in the noise of the attack down below, but Archangel heard it. Barely breathing now, Lazarus rose and placed a hand on Archangel's shoulder, squeezing firmly though it was doubtful he could feel it through his armor. "Don't shoot him … or his partner. Just … convince them to come across the bridge if necessary." Archangel's smirk was accompanied with a chuckle. "I'll go downstairs to help."

"Right," he replied while lifting the rifle to begin shooting at the others attempting to cross the bridge. "And if they start taking potshots at me?" he countered over his shoulder. A quick glance back and he noted that Lazarus was gone. Ah well, things would just have to play themselves out ….

"So, _this_ was your bright idea?"

Kaidan kept his eyes facing forward as he felt the familiar flaring sensation of his biotics kicking into full power. As they did, everything around began to take on that bluish haze it always did when he prepared for battle. Well, that and the barrier field he always implemented, that was. "It gets us across to talk to him, doesn't it?" he replied in a reasonable tone.

Vega snorted as he ducked behind a crate out of direct line of fire. So far, the other freelancers hadn't figured out that he and Kaidan were about to turn on them. Somehow, the two of them had managed to maneuver themselves into a position so that the rest were well ahead of them. But that didn't mean there wouldn't be a fight shortly. "Clearly," James retorted as he glanced around the crate, "you need to improve your negotiating skills!" He yelped and yanked himself back behind the crate as a shot barely missed his shoulder. After a string of soft curses in Spanish, he tossed back, "You must have a death wish!"

Kaidan was preparing to unleash a biotic stasis field at the shooter - nothing that would harm him overly much (because, well, he _WAS_ the person they were trying to get to speak with, after all), but to at least keep him from shooting at him and Vega while they effected an entrance into the base - but then he turned and began shooting at the other freelancing mercs, his attention momentarily distracted. "Come on," he hissed at Vega, rising and darting around the crates, "let's go."

They managed to make their way inside the building before they had to start taking out the other freelancers which, in the short run, might buy them additional time to convince the merc groups that they were indeed playing by their rules. But Kaidan decided he couldn't count on that. "There's four down here," he whispered to Vega who had come up behind him, using the walls, shelving and furniture for cover, "and the other two must have headed upstairs already."

"I'm on it," James hissed back as he moved to Kaidan's right.

Still hunched down behind the bookshelf, Kaidan waited for the Lieutenant to do the same. Signaling that he would throw out a biotic move first and then James and he could move forward with weapons in hand, James nodded back and ducked down just a bit further. Kaidan took a quick peek over the edge of the shelf before he rose high enough to throw a warp out at the cluster of men nearing the bottom of the staircase, and then retreating back behind the shelf. He heard shouts of protest, some more panicked than others, and was about to rise and take aim when he both heard and felt an explosion radiating outwards from the same general area. The shock of the blast caused him to stumble just a bit and he noticed that Vega had reached a hand out to steady himself as well while giving him a "What the hell?" sort of expression. Frowning, Kaidan vaulted the bookshelf and headed in that direction. What the hell, indeed. Warp should not have caused such a reaction on those men.

"Commander?" James whispered as he followed suit.

"Not a clue, Vega," he replied with a small frown. A warp field shouldn't have done that much damage by itself, he knew that. As they passed the area, he glanced around looking evidence of anything else that might have been in the area to cause such a reaction. They'd passed several explosive canisters along the way, but he didn't see anything indicating that one had been in this area. And yet …. A quick glance down at the bodies at their feet assured him the men were dead. How odd.

A shout from above caught their attention then, and Kaidan gestured James up the stairs. Both turned the corner at the same time and hurried down the hall, uncertain what to expect inside the room ahead of them as they approached. However, the panicked cries of protest that they heard just before entering proved only to be echoes of the attackers' own demise. Raising his weapon so that he was not aiming at the remaining armored inhabitant, Kaidan waved James to do the same and they presented as friendly an image as possible in that moment. The man before them glanced up and reached for his helmet as Kaidan asked, "Archangel?"

Garrus chuckled as he watched the stunned expression creep across Alenko's face. It had been a rare sight to see the Alliance officer caught off guard to that extent in the past, but at the moment it was a … what did the humans call it? _ A sight for sore eyes._ "So the people of Omega call me," he replied when it became clear that Kaidan couldn't continue for a moment. "But I'd prefer it if you just called me Garrus like before." He noted that the younger man standing next to Kaidan appeared to be just as if not even more confused. Stepping forward, he extended his hand and introduced himself. "Garrus Vakarian."

While the two shook hands, Kaidan managed to shake himself out of silence. "Garrus served with us on the SR1," he explained to James. And then to the turian, he added, "We were told Archangel might be able to help us."

Garrus chuckled, mandibles flaring slightly in what Kaidan recalled was his way of smiling or possibly even smirking. Or maybe it was a grin? Micah had always been able to read the turian's facial expressions better than he had. "Oh? Blue Suns after you too? Or maybe the Blood Pack is extorting protection money from you? Or, wait … I know … Eclipse is sending mechs -"

Kaidan sighed. He should have expected this, he supposed. Well, if Archangel had been someone other than who it actually was, he might well have. But the fact remained that he _was_ a friend, and one who had known Shepard well. "We were sent by the Council, Garrus," Kaidan interjected, hoping that might help.

Apparently, it didn't because if turians could do such a thing as glower and scowl, Garrus was doing that now. The first instinctive reaction that came to mind was _rapid retreat_. Kaidan could almost see invisible walls going up around his friend, standing between the two of them. "Were you now?" he murmured in a tone that brought back memories of just how dangerous the man could be when riled up.

"Garrus, stop!" Kaidan pleaded. "We're not even looking for you specifically other than we need your help to find the person we're after!"

Garrus turned away and reached for his Mantis that he had set nearby. With his back turned towards them, his voice echoed to the far end of the room and back before they could hear him. "Oh, I know damned good and well who you're looking for. I also can figure out the reason you're looking for them too." Taking his helmet in hand, he turned to face them one last time. "Funny … we only found out the reason why just before you showed up. Half an hour earlier, I might have unknowingly assisted you in your, what is it you humans call it? In your 'witch hunt'?"

Kaidan blinked back shock. "Witch hunt? What the hell are you talking about? Garrus, we're here looking for -"

"Lazarus," the turian growled. "Yeah, I know. We both do, actually."

James elbowed Kaidan's arm then. "How did we suddenly become the bad guys here?" he muttered, the look on his face matching the confusion in his tone. "I think I'm lost, man."

Frowning, Kaidan nodded and returned, "Yeah, you aren't the only one, Lieutenant."

Lazarus knew the sound of soft footfalls creeping up behind them would have both men turning, weapons drawn and aimed, but it didn't matter. Pistol holstered for the moment, Lazarus stepped into the room, replying to the last comments, "It's not so difficult to understand." Gloved hands rising, the hood was pulled back and allowed to fall, settling around slender shoulders as dark coppery waves tumbled out and over it. Green eyes, bright with memories but mixed with anger, frustration and concern met familiar whiskey brown. "Hello, Kaidan."

"_Dios!_" the younger man hissed before moving to cross himself, and in that moment Micah saw his hands go slack on his weapon, the barrel lowering enough that she knew he was not her major concern at the moment. "Is … is that …?"

Continuing forward, she moved to stand directly in front of Kaidan. Eyes locked on his, she could read his reaction in them as he struggled internally. The sad thing was, she knew they had no time for this now. As much as she knew they needed to talk, that _he_ would need it, she could hear the first signs that another wave of attackers were preparing to go over the wall and head across the bridge towards them.

"You …. But, you're dead!"

Micah reached out and placed a hand on his arm. She was not surprised when he pulled back immediately, the look on his face one of horror mixed with … hope? Damn it all, they needed time, but they weren't going to get it right now. She needed to get through to him and quickly, to get him beyond this point so that he could focus and function or none of them were going to make it through the rest of this day.

From his position on the perch, Garrus' voice called out, "Shepard, we've got more mercs coming and this time they've brought friends. Could use some help over here."

Without breaking her gaze from Kaidan's, Micah spoke to Vega. "Go help Garrus. Please?"

It took a moment, but he replied, "On it, ma'am," easily enough before turning away and giving Micah a moment longer with Kaidan. Taking a deep breath, Micah reached out again, hand settling on the forearm nearest to her. This time, he didn't pull away. "Nothing is ever easy for us," she told him, echoing words from years before and wondering if he would remember, "is it?"

Kaidan barely noticed James leaving his side to assist Garrus. No, his eyes, his mind, his entire soul was focused on the person standing practically nose to nose with him. A person whom he'd been told was dead. For over two years. But her touch … it felt real enough. Her voice … it sounded as he remembered, maybe a bit rougher than usual. Her hair was longer, but the face - aside from some marked scarring on her cheeks, and that just looked as if it needed time to finish healing - was still the same, right down to the splash of freckles across the bridge of her nose and across her cheekbones. And in that instant, he found himself doing what he'd done in the past whenever he was looking at her face: mapping out that lovely spattering of marks ….

It matched. Every single freckle, in the exact same number and pattern as before. "Micah?" His voice sounded hoarse to his ears and he heard it crack halfway through pronouncing her name. He pulled his arm from her touch, his hand rising to gently cradle her cheek, careful to avoid touching the scars there. She did not pull away from his touch, he noted. Nor did she look away. Instead, her lips turned up slightly at the corners, a familiar grin settling there. One he recognized all too well ….

The entire foundation of the building shook for a moment, breaking them out of their sudden reunion. "Um, guys?" James called over, "We really could use your help over here."

And then Kaidan watched that familiar transformation, the mood swing that he'd only ever seen her do so successfully, from one extreme to the complete and opposite end of the spectrum in the blink of an eye. Suddenly, Commander Shepard stood before him, eyes flaring as the sounds of battle rose around them, a small smirk playing at her lips. That same smirk that had led them off into countless battles before. Turning, he followed her over to the window, ducking down to take cover behind the wall to her right.

"And … they have a mech," Garrus intoned, the dryness of which seemed to amuse Micah as she giggled softly from her position between the turian and Kaidan. "Wonderful."

But as Garrus raised his arm to take aim, Kaidan reached out in front of Micah to stop him. "Give it a minute," he suggested. James' chuckle added emphasis to his words.

"Oh?" Garrus glanced over.

Kaidan felt a grin slip into place. "Let's just say I … gave it a much needed software update," he replied before nodding in the mech's direction. All eyes turned then, he noted, and they watched as the heavy mech turned around and began shooting at the Eclipse mercenaries who were climbing over the barricade and onto the bridge. One or two managed to get past, but not without some expended effort, and they were taken down easily with their firearms.

Once the last of them was down, including the leader from what Garrus told them, Micah rose and moved further back into the room. She found her stash of extra ammunition and pocketed several clips before turning back to face the others. "Alright," she told them, "we need to find a way out of here."

"You and I both know, Shepard, that we won't have a chance unless we deal with the mercs first," Garrus reminded her.

She sighed and glanced over at Kaidan first and then at his companion. "I assume you're willing to help?"

Kaidan blinked back surprise. "You have to ask?" he challenged.

Micah stiffened and straightened. Turning to face him solely, she countered, "You were sent here to 'take care of' me, weren't you?"

Kaidan took a step towards her, eyes narrowing as he retorted, "We were sent here to find and extract you and the information you were after and deliver you both to the Council. Beyond that, I was given no specific instruction."

Micah's green eyes flared with anger for a moment. "Right. And no suggestion was made that I was 'compromised' either." The flatness of her tone told everyone how little she believed that statement.

Kaidan sighed and lifted a hand to rub at the back of his neck. "Councilor Valern -"

But Micah snorted her derision at that. "Oh, I know all about Councilor Valern's view of things," she told him. "He made it all too clear before they sent me here."

Turning away for a long moment, Micah missed the glance Kaidan tossed over towards Garrus who simply shook his head slowly. _Not now_, it told him. Fine then. "Look, Vega and I were sent in to extract you. That's it," he repeated in an effort to get her to listen. "Yeah, Valern was pretty negative about the outcome, but then again, he's been like that more or less since we met him."

Micah spun around on him again. "He told you I've been 'compromised,' didn't he? Compared me to Saren?"

Kaidan shook his head. "He tried. Neither Tevos nor Anderson let that happen," he assured her. "Now, could we please discuss -"

A sudden shaking of the building was accompanied by the sound of a large explosion. Micah's gaze shot over to Garrus then, and Kaidan could tell there was some silent communication going on. "Basement?" she asked.

Garrus nodded. "Yeah. I think they've broken through. Finally. Took them long enough. You probably ought to head down there, seal off the doors."

"But what about you?" she challenged.

"I'll be fine." Another explosion rocked the building and Garrus nodded towards the door. "Go!"

Micah turned towards Vega. "You stay here and help him out."

Vega glanced over at Kaidan quickly, but nodded. "Yes, ma'am," he replied. "I'll keep him safe for you."

Micah was already facing Kaidan when Vega replied, but she caught herself smiling at the younger man's enthusiasm. "Come on, Kaidan. Let's go take care of this."

On the way down the stairs, Kaidan asked, "Wouldn't it be better for you to have someone with heavier weapons to help?"

Micah chuckled and tossed him one of her 'you ain't seen nothing yet' sort of grins. It was one he knew all too well. "Some weapons, I've discovered, are better than others."

They arrived down below just in time to find a group of mercs attempting to make access through the gate right ahead of them. They were still on the stairs as Micah threw out a singularity towards them, catching the two mercs beyond the range of the door, and then she sprinted over to seal it shut. During the time it took for the door to be sealed completely, Kaidan used his assault rifle to keep the last one back far enough so he didn't pose a threat. Once the door was closed, Micah nodded to their left. "That way next."

This door was a bit more challenging, they discovered, because one of the mercs was armed with a flamethrower, but after a few minutes of maneuvering their opponents around with biotics and a few choice shots with their weapons, they successfully sealed the door.

"One more," Garrus' voice announced over their comlinks. "Watch out, though, Shepard. Sensors suggest much higher numbers by comparison in that section."

Micah sighed and rolled her eyes slightly as she and Kaidan shared a look before heading in that direction. "Of course there are," she muttered. Garrus soft chuckle indicated he'd heard her. Micah chose to ignore him.

They arrived at the entryway to the last door, but before opening the passage, Micah reached a hand out to grasp Kaidan's forearm. "This room is much larger," she told him. "Basically, it's a warehouse. Spread out. Some crates to hide behind, but not much. And the door … it's a larger opening than the others. Wider. More space for them to come through."

He nodded. "Ideas on how you want to do this?"

She nodded. "When you can, I want you using your warp on them. As much as possible. I've got a way to clear them out." She saw his brow rise in question and she grinned while reaching to open the door. "Just trust me, Kaidan," she added. "It'll work."

Backs to the wall on either side of the door, they both turned to peek around the opening a moment later, spotted where they wanted to go and then ran inside. As Micah had warned, they were facing more mercs at one time inside, but after the first few were taken down, including their varren, they began to get it under control. Micah nodded each time Kaidan tossed out a warp and immediately followed it with one of her own. She nearly laughed aloud at his reaction to the biotic explosion that occurred the first time. Tossing him a grin and a nod, she moved forward, continuing the process. Finally, she reached the door and sealed it.

"Okay, that's it," Garrus' voice told them. "Now get back up there because we've got more heading across the bridge."

Micah didn't waste any time and began running. "Come on," she called over to Kaidan. They reached the main floor moments later at a steady jog, weapons raised and aimed at the mercs pushing their way inside the room. Two krogan were leading the way, one of whom Micah recognized as the leader of the Blood Pack, and began climbing the stairs, remaining out of range for her. Instead, she ducked behind one of the bookcases and called over to Kaidan, "Wash, rinse, repeat," hoping he'd recall the old code for keeping up the same plan of attack as they'd used before. He nodded and moved into position, tossing out a warp field before ducking down behind some cover. Only then did Micah move around and toss out her own warp field. Between the biotics and their weapons, they managed to clear out the remaining mercs quickly, heading upstairs as quickly as they could.

They found one of the krogans waiting for them in the doorway, and Micah had to roll to her left to duck for cover behind the edge of the wall. A soft grunt escaped her lips as she hit her shoulder against it, but that was the only damage she could ascertain at the moment. Kaidan remained on the right, hiding behind one of the crates at the top of the stairs. He alternated between tossing out warp fields and shooting at the warrior while Micah focused her warp fields at him as well. But the bastard wouldn't go down.

"Shit," she muttered after four attempts failed to take him down.

"Any ideas?" Kaidan called over as he rose high enough to take a few shots with his rifle before ducking back under cover again.

"Yeah … but you probably won't like it," she returned.

Kaidan snorted. "When has _that_ ever mattered?" he teased back.

She couldn't help a small chuckle in return. Taking a deep breath, she glanced over at him. "Use the warp field again," she told him. "I'm going to try something else." He nodded and tossed one out. A moment later, Micah rose and stepped into direct line of fire, all of her attention focused on the krogan before her. She was so focused, she didn't even hear his laugh or his battle cry as he turned fully towards her, weapon raised to fire. Pouring all of her energy into this one move, she raised her arm in the way she'd observed Aria doing it the one time she'd seen it in action and sent a silent prayer to whatever gods, goddesses or spirits were out there. The moment it released from her fingertips, she dropped and rolled back to her left behind cover. The sharp sting at her shoulder informed her she hadn't ducked the shot completely, but this was conveniently forgotten a second later as the biotic blast shook the entire hallway in a move much more violent than any caused by the warp on warp moves from earlier. A quick peek around the corner assured her the krogan was down.

Kaidan stepped over and offered her his hand which, he noted, she took. "Thanks," she murmured. And then they heard another krogan battle roar from inside the room. Neither said anything, simply turning and dashing down the hall inside the room to find Garrus and Vega both facing off against the Blood Pack leader.

Micah tried to gather her energy to her, but felt the tell tale signs of exhaustion creeping in on her. Glancing over at Kaidan, she shook her head. "I can't," she told him, lifting her pistol instead.

But Kaidan grasped her wrist and pulled her down behind cover first. "Can you manage a warp field?" he asked.

She nodded. "I think so." It might not be her best one ever, but she thought she could pull one final move out.

He rose up high enough for Vega to see him and signaled him and Garrus to keep fire on the krogan. "Come on then," he told her as he stood up, pulling his own biotic energy into his next move. Micah moved to their left, finally tossing out a warp field before ducking and rolling to come up behind one of the sofas as cover, pistol raised to use from there on out. The minute he saw her warp field fly, Kaidan signaled James and Garrus to back off a bit and then tossed a throw to trigger the explosion. Between that combination and the follow up continuous fire, they finally were able to take the mercenary leader down.

Micah collapsed to the floor where she was and flopped back against the sofa. Kaidan moved to her side immediately. "You okay?" he asked as he knelt down beside her. Vega moved over to her other side and began examining the wound she'd received from the shotgun earlier. It was only a graze, though, and after a minute or two examining it, he was putting omni-gel and a bandage on it.

Her eyes lifted slowly to meet his, but she nodded. "Yeah … just need to rest a bit," she muttered.

Kaidan fished in his pocket for a couple of the energy bars he always had on hand. Tossing one over to her, he nodded. "Eat it. You'll feel better."

Micah chuckled, memories from two years before returning. How many times had he pressed one of these things into her hands after a battle? Reminding her to take care of herself first, then the others. Tearing the wrapper open, she gave him a half smile. "Thanks."

"Well," Garrus' voice called from across the room, "that just leaves the Blue Suns."

"Don't suppose Tarak would just let us walk out of here, do you?" Micah called back, eyes closed as she chewed on another bite. She could tell she was at her limits, though, because the taste of these things usually had her gagging over each and every bite. Right now, she had to force herself from inhaling it.

"Not likely," Garrus shot back, "after that shot to his toy I gave him."

Kaidan watched as Micah's eyes popped open. "Hey!" she protested. "That was _my_ handiwork, thank you very much!"

Garrus laughed. "If you're wanting to take over the name Archangel, Shepard, be my guest …."

"_You_ shot the airship?" Kaidan asked, eyes falling to meet Micah's.

She nodded, the pride in her accomplishment showing in the sparkle there. "Damned straight!" she chirruped. Her smile turned slightly wistful then. "Dad would have been proud, too."

"Yeah," Garrus added dryly, "the old gal will never be the same again."

When both Vega and Kaidan looked confused, Micah giggled softly. "His Mantis," she explained. "They caught us off guard and it was the first thing I could grab." Sighing, she leaned back against the sofa again. "Not looking forward to that damned airship again."

Vega chuckled and Kaidan grinned down at her. "It won't be at full strength," he promised.

"Oh?" Micah surveyed his face for a long moment. Then she chuckled. "Wait … you got the ship too?"

"Sort of," Vega explained with a grin. "He just made sure it couldn't be … fixed properly."

Micah blinked and glanced back up at Kaidan. Mr. 'Play by the Rules' himself. Feeling a smirk pull at her lips, she noticed him blush just a bit. "Seriously?" she whispered. When he only darkened just a bit more red, she clapped her hands together and laughed delightedly. Reacting on instinct, she leaned up and kissed him lightly on his cheek.

Before either could do more than inhale sharply in surprise, eyes catching and widening at the other, the sound of an airship engine approaching from the far end of their room caught their attentions. Rising quickly, Micah stuffed the rest of the energy bar into her mouth before hurrying over to grab the last of her ammunition clips off the side table.

The ensuing battle became one that Micah knew she'd dream about for a long time to come. Between pot shots at the airship and mercs entering through the window on the far side, it turned into a challenge from all angles. No sooner would they get a chance to take out Tarak (the taunting laughter left no doubt he was indeed flying the ship) than another wave of mercs would leap through the window and make their way towards them. Only finally, and after Garrus took a rocket to his face, were Micah, Kaidan and Vega able to take down the airship, eliminating the worst of the Blue Suns threat for the moment.

Micah hurried over to Garrus' side, calling out his name, reaching towards him with hands that were slightly shaking. Relief washed through her when she heard him gasping for a breath, watching his hand reach for his Mantis. Covering his hand with her own, she murmured a promise to bring the gun along, to keep it for him while prying his hand from it. First things first.

Kaidan wondered at her reaction, but kept his thoughts to himself for the moment. The man was a friend to them both, after all, and he too had his own concerns regarding Garrus' survival. Reaching for the medical kit he always had on hand, he got to work while Micah turned towards Vega. "Go see if you can't find something we could use as a stretcher," she told him.

Kaidan frowned. "Where are we going to take him?" he asked. "He needs help immediately!"

Micah nodded, assisting him with emergency battlefield dressings to stem the blood loss. "I know a place," she told him. "He's a great doc, he can help." She lifted her eyes to meet Kaidan's. "It's not too far from here," she promised.

Vega returned then, unfolding a blanket. "Best I could do," he explained.

Micah nodded. "It'll do."

And it did.


	7. Scientist Salarian

Makeshift litter in hand, they left Archangel's base for the last time and began weaving their way through the streets and alleys of Omega. On the off chance there were still remnants of the Blue Suns, Eclipse or Blood Pack around, they took things as slowly as they dared, scoping out wide open spaces before crossing, spending valuable seconds to ensure that they arrived at their destination safely. Only once did they run into any sort of issue, and ultimately, it proved to be more of a beneficial move than anything else.

As they neared an intersection, Micah slowed to a halt, pressing up against the side of the building to remain in the shadows as much as possible. A quick glance out into the street before them had her concerned. While all seemed quiet enough at a casual glance, Micah realized that it was just a little bit _too_ quiet. Especially for being so close to the border of the Gozu District. At every other border since her arrival on Omega and the beginning of the plague quarantine, she'd seen people gathered, trying to get past the guards keeping them out. Here … nothing. Not even guards. Something was going on.

"What is it?" Kaidan's softly breathed question was very close to her ear.

Micah held her hand up to signal them to stop and be silent. She could hear Garrus' labored breathing, but there was nothing she could do about it unless she got them into the Gozu District and to Mordin's clinic safely. Eyes focused upon the street before them, she continued to watch. "It's too quiet," she whispered back, feeling his presence still right beside her. She felt him nod, his chin brushing against her hood. Lifting a hand, she kept it in the shadows as she used her finger to point. "Across there," she explained, voice still in a whisper. "We need to get down that alleyway. It will lead us to a sewer passage so we can get through the barricade undetected."

They remained there another few minutes until Garrus groaned softly. Micah realized they would have to move, no matter what they might face out there. Sighing softly, she asked, "Can you both manage to carry him? I'd rather one of us was focused on defense as we go through. Just in case."

Again, she felt the brush of his chin against her hood. "We'll make it work," he whispered into her ear.

She led the way out slowly, carefully, and then finally into the wide open and lighted space. Within a few steps, though, she both heard and saw footsteps approaching from her right. Straightening just a bit, she shifted her pistol to her left hand and subtly began gathering biotic energy to her right. If they were going to have a confrontation, by damn, she'd be ready for it.

But the confrontation didn't come. Micah continued leading Kaidan and Vega across the street and then down the alleyway, but even though they were 'joined' by several newcomers, no one said a word. Nor did they try to stop them. It was only when they arrived at the sewer entrance that any exchange was made.

"You are Lazarus?"

Micah moved to stand between her people and the hooded person speaking to them. "I am," she agreed.

There was a pause. "Word has it that you and Archangel need assistance."

Micah gasped softly. Well, she shouldn't really be surprised that word had gotten out. There'd been enough mercs against them, some of the underlings or maybe even some of the freelancers, or perhaps just people in the area could have gotten the word out and around if needed. And that wasn't counting others she had come across away from Archangel's base over the past weeks. Straightening, Micah nodded. "That would be correct." She turned her head so she could see the person before her, but remained deep enough inside her hood to hide her identity.

"We would be honored if you would allow us to assist," she was told.

It was then that Micah heard the tell tale rumblings in the tone. A turian. A female turian, if the pitch meant anything. Lifting her head just a bit, she tried to see through the shadows to the face beyond, beneath the hood across from her. She could make out a bit of the chin, some red markings on a pale white face, but that was about it. "What assistance could you provide?" she asked instead.

The turian straightened then, lifting a hand to pull back her own hood and Micah got a good look at the face. There were subtle differences between her facial structure and that of male turians like Garrus, but Micah could see that she was indeed turian. And apparently trusted her enough to allow her identity to be seen. "I know back ways through Omega," she explained. "My people and I can lead you directly to Dr. Solus' clinic without fear of detection."

Micah took a few moments to think on this. "Why?" she finally asked. "What are your reasons for helping?" She wanted to ask who they were, but she didn't want to alienate them just yet if they took offense to these questions first.

"Archangel has done more to help the people of Omega than anyone," she explained. "And the people of Omega are important. To me. Us. Archangel has given us … direction and inspiration."

Micah hesitated a moment longer before holstering her pistol, releasing the hold on her biotic energy and lifting her hands to drop her hood. "I would be happy to accept your help on his behalf," she murmured, gesturing with her hand to the litter Kaidan and Vega still held. "The faster we can get to Mordin's clinic, the better his chances at surviving."

The female turian glanced over her shoulder and gestured four more individuals forward. All four were turian as well. They took the litter from Kaidan and Vega and, after the female stepped around them to unseal the lock to the sewers below, moved forward. It was then that she gestured Micah, Kaidan and Vega through, following closely behind. Within minutes, they were moving quickly through the paths below.

"Do you have a name?" Micah asked her counterpart at one point.

The female turian chuckled. "I do. My apologies. My name is Nyreen." She nodded towards the four carrying Garrus. "We are part of a … relatively new organization on Omega, but like Archangel, we care about what happens to its people. Or, at least some of us do."

Curious, Micah now voiced her earlier thought. "What organization might that be?"

Nyreen glanced over at her. "We are the Talons."

"The Talons?" Micah thought back over the little she'd heard of them from her time in _Afterlife_ and through some of her intelligence gathering activities over the past two months. "I'd hardly call you 'humanitarians' if what I've heard is right."

Surprisingly, Nyreen chuckled. "We all have our jobs to do," she agreed, "but some of us do care about the common people of Omega. It just took someone like Archangel for others within the organization to begin to see it as we do."

"Hmmm." Well, Micah wasn't going to snub a gift horse in this instance. Though …. "And what is it you are wanting in return?" she asked.

Micah's eyes were upon Nyreen the entire time and she saw the look of surprise that crossed her face. "Nothing," she admitted. "Like I said, he opened our eyes and for that, we are grateful." Then she shrugged. "I don't expect the change to come overnight," she admitted, "but there will be change. And whether you agree with it or not, I'm sure you can appreciate that in this particular instance, we mean you no harm."

Micah did smile this time. "That I can," she agreed.

The rest of the journey took them much less time than Micah had been afraid of, and when they did arrive, Nyreen and her friends handed the litter back over to Micah, Kaidan and Vega before entering the clinic. Before she turned to leave, however, Micah grasped Nyreen's arm. "Wait," she urged, "you all should come inside, get the vaccine for the plague that's going around."

Nyreen shook her head. "We'll just have to take our chances like everyone else," she announced. "It was something we agreed upon before we came to offer assistance. We all knew the chances coming in."

"You … you hadn't been exposed yet?"

Nyreen shook her head. "But we will stay within the Gozu District now that we have been," she informed her. "We would not want to infect anyone outside the quarantined area." She then nodded towards the litter. "Go. Seek help for Archangel. We shall wait and see what destiny has in store for the rest of us." And without another word, she and her companions turned and left.

Garrus groaned again, catching Micah's attention. Sighing, she nodded towards the entrance to the clinic just a few feet away. "Come on," she told Kaidan and Vega, "Mordin's in here."

She led them inside and once making eye contact with one of the clinic staff, was told to head immediately for one of the examination rooms. Mordin was just exiting one of the other rooms when he spotted them. "Ah, Shepard," he called out, walking over and leading the way inside. His whole demeanor changed, however, when Kaidan and Vega lifted Garrus' injured form onto the table before him. "Hmm, not good. Not good at all," he muttered. "Could be problematic."

The sound of footsteps behind her had Micah turning to see one of Mordin's other assistants entering the room. Frowning, she asked, "Mordin, where's Daniel?" When it came right down to it, she had to admit she trusted Daniel over someone she didn't know.

For Kaidan and Vega, Micah's question must have seemed like a trigger of some sort for the salarian. Mordin, as usual, began speaking very quickly and in clipped sentences. "Went into vorcha territory looking for victims. Hasn't come back. Told him not to go, but he's smart. Bright future. Heard of infected batarians behind vorcha lines. Daniel went to help. Warned him too dangerous. Patients here need him. Snuck out anyway. Wanted to find him myself. Can't leave clinic. Have to look after patients."

Micah sighed. Daniel's actions didn't really surprise her though. He was smart. And a just a bit too much on the kind-hearted side of things. "We'll go see if we can find him," she promised.

"Good." Mordin walked over to a nearby tabletop and reached for several vials which he handed over to Micah. "Need to distribute cure at environmental control center," he explained as she took them. "Vorcha guarding it. Need to kill them." The hum of the air ventilation systems suddenly coming to a halt had all of them glancing up to the nearest air vent.

"That wasn't a good sound," James muttered.

"Vorcha have shut down environmental systems," Mordin concluded. Micah nodded her agreement. "Trying to kill everyone. Need to get power back on before district suffocates."

"We'll take care of it," Micah promised. "You just -" Her eyes fell on Garrus' unconscious form as she turned, concern furrowing her brow.

"Go," Mordin told her. "Will take care of him. Will be fine when you get back. You'll see."

Micah looked back over at Mordin one last time before leaving the room and saw his smile. Returning it with one of her own, she gave him a nod which was basically was her approval of his test of faith. "We'll be back soon."

"Good luck."

As they walked through the waiting room of the clinic, Micah gave both Kaidan and Vega a quick look. She stopped by a lone locker behind the desk on the way out and opened it, clearly familiar with the combination and, by lack of reaction by the staff, clearly with permission to use it. Pulling out ammunition, she handed some over to both men and then reached back inside one last time. This time, she pulled out pistols to match her own. Handing one over to each of them, she nodded. "This will have to do. Let's go."

The venture behind vorcha held lines to release the cure for the plague in the ventilation systems took some time, but wasn't as challenging as it could have been, Micah supposed. And it certainly was a sight better than having to sit around the clinic waiting room for word on Garrus' condition. But still, there had been some challenges along the way, and certain pieces of information and intelligence had been gathered too. It was this that she continued to ponder as she, Kaidan and James walked back towards the clinic.

"I'm not sure I understand why the Collectors would be involved with this," Kaidan commented as they walked along.

Micah nodded. "Yeah, that's the thing. This isn't the first time I've come across that, either. The information Mordin gave me earlier today hinted at the same thing. _Plague hitting slums is engineered," _she continued on, quoting the datapad the doctor had given her earlier that day. But at least she was speaking at a more reasonable rate of speed. "_Collectors one of few groups with technology to design it._"

James visibly shuddered. "The Collectors? Shit, man … I mean, ma'am."

Micah chuckled. "At ease, Lieutenant," she assured him. "But yeah, I agree with your sentiment. The question is, why?"

"Yeah." Micah was a bit curious at the almost tone of defeat in the Lieutenant's voice just then, but she decided not to push it just then.

When she didn't react to Vega's comment, Kaidan continued. "Okay, so let's think about this. What exactly do we know? About the Collectors? About the plague? And about how this ties in with the human colonies going missing in the Terminus." Because, after all, that was why they were here in the first place, wasn't it?

Micah tossed a quick glance over at him. "That is a bigger question than you might think and probably requires me briefing you on the information that was _supposed_ to be given to the Council but apparently never was sent off of Omega." Which left her in the precarious position of not having proof of her claims once again. _Damn you, Sidonis!_

Kaidan blinked at the venom he heard there. "Are you sure you should?" he countered.

Micah nodded slowly, solemnly. "With all that's going on, I want someone else in on this," she told him. Her eyes met his and held for a long moment. "Someone I can trust implicitly."

Kaidan nodded. That was good enough for him. Though they still had things to discuss, mostly revolving around the circumstances of her sudden return from what was supposed to have been the dead, the fact that she felt she could still trust him after all this time was enough of a start for him to accept on faith. For now, anyway.

"I was sent here to get in touch with Aria T'Loak," Micah explained. "The information I was given from the Council led them, and me, to believe that she had some leads for us regarding the Collectors and their possible intentions." She gave them both a somewhat sardonic look as she added, "Needless to say, Aria was not exactly willing to cooperate when I arrived."

James snorted. "Yeah, I can see that from what I've heard," he muttered.

"When were you sent here?" Kaidan asked.

"Two months ago, give or take," she told him. "Almost literally within days of … my return." She sighed and lifted a hand to her forehead, pressing against her temple at the feel of the inevitable headache approaching. _Please, not now,_ she begged silently. Either he heard her or read her body language, or possibly was even into his 'professional mode' so deeply just then that Kaidan didn't ask for details which allowed her to continue. "I was given the names of Archangel and Mordin as contacts should I need them after I arrived. Which I did. Garrus helped me get set up with housing and Mordin was able to feed me additional sources for information with whom I could get into contact." She paused for a moment and felt a grin play at the corner of her lips. "He also had a … unique take on how to interact with Aria." There was a hint of amusement in her tone and she could see that both men were intrigued, eyebrows arching in question, but she simply shook her head and continued on. Perhaps at a later date she could pass along what the good professor had told her. "Within a few days of my arrival, I approached Aria and established contact. I began by seeking employment at _Afterlife _-"

Kaidan stopped walking so suddenly that James yelped as he avoided crashing into him. "What the hell?" the younger man protested.

But Kaidan ignored him. "Wait … you sought _employment_ from Aria?"

Micah shrugged as she looked over at him. "Why not? It got me inside _Afterlife_, got me close to some of her people, gave me access to some of the information I was able to send back. Also gave me time and opportunity to evaluate whether or not my reason for being here was valid."

"What exactly were you doing?" Kaidan asked next. At her frown of confusion, he clarified, "Your job, Micah. What was your job?"

"Ah." It was then that she realized what he was driving at and, figuring she'd know his reaction, she pulled her lower lip in between her teeth and held it there for a moment. She'd already gone through this with Garrus when he'd found out. Did she really need a repeat? "What does it matter?" she asked. "I did what I had to do to get the job done -"

Kaidan's eyes shut for a long moment. "Quit skipping around the subject and just answer the question," he told her.

Micah folded her arms across her chest, eyes narrowing slightly. "Why?" she asked again. When his eyes narrowed some in return, she sighed, tossed her hands in the air and simply gave in. It shouldn't have been such a big deal, but for some reason, it was turning out to be. His insistence at finding out was irritating her in ways it probably shouldn't and she could feel her own reaction to that strengthening her defensive side. Someone had to give, and seeing as she currently was the one in charge, she figured it would have to be her to set the example.

"Fine!" she hissed, deciding that graciously just wasn't in the cards for her today. "I was a dancer. Okay? Satisfied?" She saw the twitch at the corner of his lips, but it was James who hooted in laughter first. Turning on the younger man, she demanded, "What's so funny, Lieutenant?"

He managed to recover himself quickly, choking back his amusement as he straightened up. "Um … nothing, ma'am," he replied quickly. "Just … um, no. Nope. Absolutely nothing. Never mind." Scuttlebutt wasn't always what it was cracked up to be anyway, right?

Turning on Kaidan, she gave him an, _I dare you to continue_, sort of look. However, given his additional years of experience over Vega and a natural inclination towards self-control, he was able to mask his amusement for the most part. Yet another source of continuous frustration for her. Where she tended to be a bit more hot tempered, he was much more evenly so. _Except for that tiny little twitch._ "And you?" she asked, her voice dropping as her eyes narrowed in on the corner of his mouth. _Twitch … twitch …._

Kaidan shook his head but otherwise remained impassive and definitely not giving in. "Absolutely nothing," he returned, echoing Vega's words of moments before.

Micah turned and began walking in the direction of the clinic again. They were almost there, and the sooner they were, the sooner she could finalize her plans to leave this hunk of space rock and get back to civilization. The mission was completely blown now, and she needed to speak to the Council about the information that was supposed to have gone through and the fact that they'd never received it. "Anyway, the point I was trying to make," she continued on after a block or two of absolute silence, "was that I worked my way into contact with her. Eventually, she and I 'discussed' things, and after a little incident in which I helped save her ass, she finally started to give me what I wanted. She made me work for it, though."

Kaidan shared a quick glance with Vega behind Micah's back, but both knew what the other meant. _I just bet she did._ "Do you remember any of the details of the information she gave you?" he asked next as they moved in through the lobby.

Micah's smile was almost feral as she turned to face him. "I might not recall the specific numbers," she told him, "but I do remember some of the details that were based on what she knew. That plus some additional information Mordin provided." She led them down the hallway towards the room where they'd left Garrus earlier. A quick glance inside showed the turian was resting comfortably and a nod at them from Daniel reassured them to that fact. Micah breathed a sigh of relief. "Mordin?" she called softly across the room. Daniel nodded his understanding and pointed towards the room across the hall.

Turning, Micah made her way there, pausing at the entrance when she heard a pair of voices inside. One was obviously Mordin, but the other was foreign to her. "Thank you for your assistance, doctor."

"Glad to be of help," Mordin was replying by the time Micah finally managed to step inside. He glanced over in her general direction then and Micah could see that he was relaxed, or at least as relaxed as she had ever seen him. "Environmental systems engaged. Airborne viral levels dropping. Patients improving. Vorcha retreating. Well done, Shepard. Thank you."

Micah simply nodded at him, having learned that unless she wanted him to take something she said and suddenly run with it, this was the best way.

"So," the voice behind the doctor spoke up, the figure turning to face them, "I had heard correctly then."

Micah blinked back her surprise. "I beg your pardon?"

The lovely creature - and there was no way that Micah could not describe her thus - rose to her feet and after laying a hand on Mordin's shoulder briefly, walked around him to cross over to stand before Micah with an ease and grace that could make anyone jealous. "I had heard that the one called Commander Shepard had returned from the dead," the asari explained.

Micah felt a smile pull at her lips. "Indeed she has," she agreed. "Although, I must admit that I am curious as to how you found out. My return was being kept secret outside of certain circles."

"Of that I am quite aware," the asari replied, not unkindly. "It is fortunate our paths have crossed, however." she continued.

Micah was startled by that comment. "Is that so?"

"Indeed." Bowing her head slightly in polite greeting, she announced, "I am Samara, Justicar of the Asari."

Micah's eyes widened just a bit. She had heard of Justicars in passing during her time with Liara aboard the SR1. "I am honored to meet you, Samara," she returned, nodding her own head in return. "You said that it is fortunate that our paths have crossed. Care to explain?"

"For now I will simply say that I believe I might be of some assistance to your mission. We will speak of this further under more … appropriate circumstances."

It took a moment for Micah to understand, but when James shifted his stance beside her just slightly, she caught on quick enough. "I look forward to our discussion then," she agreed. Turning towards Mordin, she asked, "How is Garrus?"

"Need not worry, Shepard," he assured her. "Turian will be fine. Some scarring, some cybernetics, but will be fine in no time."

Again she sighed in relief. "Thank you, Mordin." Glancing around, she saw both Mordin and Samara turning to leave the room. "Mordin, can I … use this room for a bit?"

"Of course."

Glancing over at Vega, she asked him quietly, "Lieutenant, could you go check on Garrus for me?"

She watched as the younger man glanced over at Kaidan first, but he simply nodded. After his departure, Micah moved towards one of the nearby tables and began removing her armor, opting for the casual clothing she wore beneath it. Glancing over at Kaidan, she murmured, "I think it's about time we talked, don't you?"


	8. The Bigger Picture

**Note:** _My most profound apologies to my readers. With some of the changes made to the site, apparently when I set up the parameters of my story (listing the four main characters in it) it took it to mean that this was a FemShep/Garrus story when it is actually a FemShep/Kaidan pairing. I have tried to adjust the settings to read properly now. I am so sorry for any confusion. I will note, though, that even though this is a Shenko romance, other relationships between Micah Shepard and the crew (including Garrus) will be examined._

* * *

Kaidan watched Micah begin to remove her armor piece by piece until she remained only in the clothing she wore beneath. As each piece came away, he kept careful eye upon her, looking for differences and similarities to what he remembered of her, searching for the truth to what or who exactly stood before him right now. She was right. They needed to talk. Their earlier reunion while shocking had been cut short and shoved aside due to the necessities of the moment. Survival was a great motivator, or at least a good reason to put all other concerns aside for the short term. But now there was nothing keeping them from the discussion.

The reality of the moment finally settling around him, Kaidan lifted a hand and ran it through his hair until it settled at the back of his neck, rubbing at the tension there. "I'm not even sure where to begin," he finally responded. He couldn't help but wonder if his face was reflecting the mixture of emotions he was feeling just then. Pain. Confusion. Bewilderment. Hope. The unexpectedness of the situation left so much to deal with after so long.

He kept his eyes glued on her as she wandered about the room, but he noticed that she was, for the moment at least, keeping a wide space between them. It would seem that she, too, had some nervousness regarding the situation. She remained silent for a few minutes, poking and prodding at equipment and supplies, obviously stalling for time. Was he wrong to dump the weight of this back onto her? he wondered. Wasn't he doing the same thing with this maneuver? Stalling for time?

Her back was to him when she began speaking again, but he saw her straighten, her spine stiffen as she did so. Shoulders rolling back in a motion resembling someone removing a heavy weight, he heard her say quietly, "I … I never meant for any of this to happen."

He felt his chest squeeze tightly. This he took to mean a reference to her 'death'. "I know," he replied in a voice that was just as soft.

She turned finally, facing him but remaining with the distance between them. Eyes meeting his, she added, "The last thing I remember was telling you I was ... sorry."

He swallowed tightly and nodded. Folding his arms across his chest, he hoped it would keep him from just tossing everything to the four winds and reaching for her, pulling her close and holding onto her, keeping her safe beside him. That would accomplish nothing at this point, though. Certain questions needed answers before they could move forward. "What do you remember next?" he finally managed.

She sighed, her head dropping just a bit, a hand lifting to run through the dark copper lengths. Her hair was much longer now, but it was a move he remembered well. Eyes closed, she lifted the other hand, moving both to cover her face for a moment. "Being woken up on Lazarus Station," she told him a moment later. "A woman's voice shouting my name repeatedly and telling me to get up, grab my armor and my pistol and to be prepared to defend myself while she guided me out of the medical bay to the shuttle bay."

Kaidan wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, but it hadn't been that. "What?" he asked incredulously, eyes blinking as he tried to process what she'd just told him. "Wait …."

Micah sighed again, eyes opening as she turned to face him. "I woke up for the first time in two years," she explained, "to the sounds of battle surrounding me. Someone had turned the security mechs on us, you see?" She shrugged and then offered him a slightly impish smile. "What else should I expect, I suppose. If I can't have a quiet shore leave, why should death be any different?"

"Heh." He lowered his arms and now he began pacing around the room. "So … when was this that you woke up?" Turning, he watched her mess with her omni-tool for a moment.

"Nine weeks, four days, five hours and twelve minutes ago," she replied. Eyes finding his, she smiled. "Give or take half an hour. I was a bit … occupied those first thirty minutes or so."

"Shit." More than two years had gone by and she had been woken up by an attack?

"I wasn't even supposed to have been woken yet," she continued. He glanced back over at her and saw her hand rubbing along the scars on her cheek. "I still have scarring that needs to heal. But there was no other option. It was that or … die. Again."

"That's one way to put it," he agreed. He took a moment to think through what she'd just told him. Hand rising, he pressed fingers against his temple before asking, "Okay … so you were … where when all this happened? This 'Lazarus Station?'"

She nodded. "Fought my way to the docking bays with some help, but when they tried to take me with them … I refused."

He saw her bite her lip, drawing the lower one between her teeth in that all too familiar nervous habit. He felt his eyes narrow as he considered her words. _Nervous? Why?_

"I found a way to contact the Alliance, they sent a shuttle to rescue me and the rest …." She gestured broadly around the room. "I hadn't even been awake two hours before they were 'escorting' me to the Citadel. Within a few days, I'd been through all sorts of tests and examinations and was on my way here."

_Over two months ago …_ "Why didn't you contact me?" he asked. He heard a harshness to his tone he hadn't meant to let escape, saw her flinch at it. "Why was I kept in the dark?"

"I … They wouldn't let me, Kaidan," she told him. "Not you, not the rest of the Normandy crew. Not even my mother." Their eyes met again and he could see her imploring him to understand. "I … my mom …. I don't even know -"

He saw panic there and reacted on instinct. "She's okay," he assured her. "After the _Normandy_ went down, Anderson found her and told her. She wasn't alone." He sighed and scrubbed his face with his hands. "Later, she and I … talked. At your memorial service. Since then, well we …."

Micah looked startled at his words. When her brow narrowed, though, he suddenly felt like he was being put on the defensive. "Well … what?" she asked.

Her voice sounded tight, he thought. Almost agitated, but he couldn't figure out why. "What?" The confusion had to be clear, in his tone, in his facial expressions. What was she asking him? "I'm sorry, I don't understand …."

"You make it sound as if you and my mother …."

It took a moment for her meaning to register, but when it did, he spent a minute wondering if he might fall over in shock at the very idea. He could feel the blood draining from his face at her suggestion, the thought of which was absurd to his way of thinking. "Oh for the love of God, Micah, she's your mother!" he finally managed.

"And I've been gone over two years, right?" she demanded.

Where was this even coming from? "_YOU_ are the Shepard I loved, okay? Not her. She and I became friends, yes. Our shared love for you helped both of us get through a particularly difficult time which, I might add, included sorting through your personal belongings and your apartment and all the memories associated with them." The pain of that time came back with a sharp jab in his chest.

She must have caught on then because he heard her groan. Daring to close the gap between them, he crossed the room and moved to stand before her. Hand lifting, he brushed some of the curls away from her face with his fingers. "It's only ever been you," he told her quietly.

Her hand lifted to cover his, fingers curling around the shape of his palm briefly. "Sorry … it's just been really …."

"Yeah, I can imagine," he returned. Lowering his head until their foreheads met, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close for a moment, just long enough to feel as if a huge part of his heart had been replaced and started beating for the first time in over two years. She stiffened at first, but it didn't take long before she was leaning into the embrace, her arms wrapping around his waist as she returned it. A moment later, he released her and took a step back. "So … tell me more about your return," he urged. Using a finger to trace the shape of her face from her temple to her chin, he added with a bit of a smile, "I think I need to be thanking someone somewhere, right?"

But where he thought she might smile in return, maybe even laugh a bit, he saw her scowl instead. Frowning in concern, he allowed her to pull away from him, watched her closely as she stepped away. "Micah?"

"I don't know how they got to me," she told him, her tone somewhat harsh and unforgiving, "but I was told when they finally did I was basically 'meat and tubes.'" She glanced over at him and offered an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said -"

Kaidan waved her on. The thought of that did turn his stomach, but it was to be expected, he supposed. "I'll live," he replied. Granted, he might have nightmares for weeks now, but he would get past it.

"From what I understand, or rather, from the examination Chakwas gave me when I got to the Citadel, through a series of cybernetic implants, skin grafting and reconstruction, and several other techniques I can't even begin to understand, I was brought back to life. As far as we can tell, everything is the same, except for the cybernetics." She sighed. "Oh, and my biotic implant. Chakwas says I've now got the new L5x." Their eyes met again and he saw a small smile there. "Mordin's been helping keep an overall eye on my recovery since I got here."

Kaidan nodded. "L5x, hmm? Explains the increase in power," he commented.

Micah actually chuckled. "Not all of it, but the rest of that explanation can wait."

"So … a new implant." He recollected her reaction to the L3 back when they'd first met. "Any dizziness this time around?"

Micah groaned and rolled her eyes before nodding at him. "Oh hell, yes," she mumbled. "And all these weeks later, I occasionally still have instances, though I think it's mostly settled down. They aren't kidding when they say the L5x is a stronger one."

She began wandering the room again, almost prowling, and Kaidan considered what they'd discussed so far. Cybernetics. The new L5x. Experimental medical procedures used to bring her back to life. But why? Or, who, for that matter? That was was one question she'd yet to answer. "Okay, so you were brought back by experimental science." She was turned away from him again, but he still noticed the hesitation in her step. "Who did this? That had to have cost an enormous amount -"

"Over four billion credits," she bit out.

There was an anger in her voice that surprised him, but he was flabbergasted by her words. "Four billion?" he echoed. Who would have put up _that_ kind of money?

"And, it's not like I _asked_ to be brought back either."

The anger in that statement caught his attention as she nearly spat it out. He understood that her comment wasn't anything directed at him or her friends or family, but rather at the situation as a whole. Clearly, there was something specific she was referencing that he had not been let in on yet. Suddenly, she turned to face him and the look on her face nearly floored him. Anger, frustration … even fear were present. In that moment, he felt dread hit him hard in the gut, somehow knowing what she was about to tell him would be something he was not going to like.

"Cerberus."

Kaidan froze in place, a chill running through him from head to toe. "Cerberus." His words were an echo, barely whispered, but with it he felt his world collapsing around him once again. Memories of their encounters with the group before her death returned, replaying through his mind one by one, over and over. Additional details, stories and events that had been brought to his attention since that time, as well. _Cerberus brought you back … but why? For what reason?_ The questions continued to plague him, his mind spinning around as he tried to find the answer in the information she'd given him so far.

"Kaidan?"

He heard her call his name. Heard a bit of uncertainty there, or maybe it was more concern for him? He wasn't sure at this point. Wasn't sure about anything, really. After the day they'd just had, being reunited after two years separated by death, he felt even worse than she had been taken from him the first time. The fist around his heart tightened painfully. "Cerberus," he repeated. Flat, monotonic, dismissive.

Micah stepped closer to him, but remained out of arm's reach. "Kaidan?"

"Why?" he demanded, turning to face her then. "Why would they invest so much in bringing you back?" _There had to be a reason!_

"I didn't give them a chance to tell me," she explained. "I told you - I refused to go with them. Needless to say, _that_ threw a wrench into their plans."

His eyes locked onto her, examining her with keener interest than he had just moments before as those last words worked through his mind. "But did it?" he challenged before he could stop himself. "What if they _expected_ you to refuse? What if that was their plan all along?"

"What do you mean?"

He ran a hand through his hair again, the unsettled feeling continuing to grow inside of his chest. "You made it quite clear before their involvement in all of this of what exactly your feelings were in regards to the organization," he reminded her.

She nodded. "All bets were off when they killed Admiral Kahoku."

"Right. So why do this if they know? It just doesn't make sense … unless they are using you. Manipulating you somehow." He hated to say such things, hated implying that she was being controlled by someone else … _unless …._ He froze. "Unless … you aren't really you?"

Micah's head snapped back as her eyes rose to meet his. He saw shock there, read the extent of it in her body language. Anger. Disbelief. Shock. Pain. He winced slightly. She certainly seemed to be reacting as if she were real. "So," her voice sounded slightly strangled as she managed to speak after a moment, "you think … what? I'm a clone? Some sort of … AI? An imposter made to look like Micah Shepard?"

Kaidan shrugged. "I don't know what to think yet," he replied. "All I know is that for the amount of money spent on bringing you back, they would have to have had a _very_ good reason for doing so. Right now, all the evidence I've been given leads me to the conclusion that -"

Micah moved quickly, unexpectedly. From one moment to the next, she'd grabbed hold of a scalpel from a nearby table and had slashed it around the sleeve of her shirt near the wrist. Horrified, Kaidan could only stare as the material fell away from her arm, drifting lazily to the floor. When the bare skin beneath was presented, he noticed something else … the familiar scars she'd shown him so long ago when admitting to him what she'd nearly done at age seventeen. It was then that he saw droplets of blood beginning to bead and roll down the inside of her wrist towards her hand from the new cut, the limb now lowered so he was certain to see the marks. "What more do you want of me, Kaidan?" she demanded harshly. "What will it take to make you believe? Do I have to cut myself again? Bleed red so you will know I'm me and not some imposter?"

Between the shock of her words and seeing the blood, Kaidan finally managed to react. Moving with a speed he never knew he possessed, he grasped the wrist of the hand holding the knife and twisted it outwards. After a brief struggle, the blade fell from her hand, the sound of it hitting the floor harsh in contrast to the sounds of their gasping breaths mingling together between them. "Micah, stop it!" he hissed as he reached for the injured limb. But she was in no mood to listen it seemed, as she yanked her injured hand from his grasp before he could take good hold of it.

"Don't touch me!" she growled, a matching angry green flare in her eyes. "If you can't believe I'm me, then you have no right to -"

"Do you think I _want_ to believe it isn't you?" he returned. "I can get over two years of having my heart ripped out and my life nearly destroyed. I can even get past the fact you didn't contact me once you were up and around again. I honestly can … but this?" He lifted his hands slightly in a mixture of confusion and frustration. "All the evidence points to one thing, Micah. One damned thing! Tell me how I'm supposed to see it any differently when you know damned well that you would be doing the same thing if our positions were reversed!" He closed the distance between them then and grasped her by the upper arms. "Can't you see -"

Micah suddenly flared brilliantly, a burst of energy so bright and strong that Kaidan was forced to release her as it pushed him backwards, causing him to stumble. He caught himself, though, kept himself from falling, but his shock at her reaction he knew had to be clear on his face.

"I said, don't touch me!" she snarled. "If you don't want to believe me, then fine. Don't. I can't stop you. But I should point out that both the Council and the Alliance were satisfied with the results of the battery of tests they ran me through before they sent me on this mission! And yes, they knew going into them that Cerberus was behind my return!"

Alright, so maybe he'd jumped the gun there a bit … but still, there was something about the whole situation that was bugging him and he couldn't just let it go. After all, if she really was Micah then why -

The sound of a blaring alarm began to reverberate through the clinic then, startling them both out of their discussion and back into the present. "What the hell?" he muttered, wincing slightly at the bright, flashing lights that began to pulse around them with the same tempo as the alarm.

"Shit!" Micah cursed, reaching for her armor as she began to pull it back on. From the hallway, they could hear the commotion gaining momentum as patients and staff began talking and shouting over one another. Before she finished, Kaidan saw Micah glancing down at her omni-tool. "Mordin!" she shouted, hoping he'd hear her over the racket.

"What's going on?" Kaidan asked.

"An attack on Omega," Micah told him.

She pressed a button and a moment later the message was on his 'tool. He was surprised at the source of the information. "Aria T'Loak?"

Micah's laugh was rueful. "What can I say? I saved her ass big time. She owes me."

James burst into the room then. "What the hell is _that_?" he asked.

Micah was glad to see he was armed and ready for a fight. They might just find one along the way. "James, I need you and Mordin to get Garrus. We've got to get out of here."

"Where will we go?" Kaidan asked as he handed over her pistol and reached for his own weapon.

"Commander?" Kaidan was standing near enough to her that he could hear the voice on Micah's comlink, saw her smile in recognition. "Commander, talk to me!"

"I'm at Mordin's clinic, Joker. Can you get in close?" she asked. She turned towards the door and gestured both him and James to follow.

"No closer than that drop we made three weeks ago. There's just not enough room."

Micah hesitated and Kaidan thought he could almost see her thoughts spinning around inside her head. "Right. We'll meet you there in about fifteen then."

"I'll be there."

Mordin hurried over to join them then. "Everything ready, Shepard."

Kaidan watched Micah nod. "Good. We just need to grab Garrus then and -"

A rough chuckle from the doorway nearby cut her off. "Grab me where, Shepard? All you have to do is ask."

Kaidan had to blink, not familiar with this sort of semi-flirtatious side of the turian. Especially towards Micah. However, it did not seem to faze her one bit as she just chuckled in response. "Glad to see you up and around, Garrus. The fun's about to begin."

"Just like old times, huh? Wouldn't miss it." Though his voice was getting stronger, Kaidan could see he was still limping a bit. James apparently noticed too because he moved quickly to the turian's side.

Turning to Mordin, Micah murmured, "We're meeting the ship at the last drop point. You'll come with us?"

The salarian nodded. "Absolutely," he replied.

"As will I."

Kaidan glanced to his left to find the asari Justicar joining them. "Mordin has told me more of your mission, Shepard. I would offer my assistance if you would accept it."

Micah eyed the woman for a long moment. "Will your Code keep you from following orders on my ship?" she asked.

Samara smiled. "It will not if I swear an oath to you." In a quick but graceful move, Kaidan watched as the asari's biotics flared around her, rippling and glowing as she knelt on the floor before Micah. He didn't think they really had the time for this, but something about the actions kept him from interfering. There was some importance to this. "By the Code," she announced, "I will serve you, Shepard. Your choices are my choices, your morals are my morals. Your wishes are my code."

Kaidan heard James chuckle softly but nervously beside him. "Well," he muttered, "_that's_ something you don't see everyday. Pretty open ended, too."

Samara rose back to her feet then, just as graceful as before. With a hint of a smile in Vega's direction, she added, "If you make me do anything extremely dishonorable, I may need to kill you when I am released from my oath."

Again, Kaidan noticed a seriousness mixed with something else in the woman's tone and his gaze flashed to Micah. But she seemed to be considering her response carefully. "I am honored to have you along, Samara," she finally replied. A moment later, though, the impishness returned as she added, "I would never ask you to do something I would not do first myself, though if it _is_, as you say, 'extremely dishonorable,' I'd probably just take my own life and save you the trouble." Samara nodded and Kaidan could see that she had found some sort of reassurance in the words.

The sirens continued to blare around them while the lights kept flashing, and Kaidan was beginning to feel the throbbing pulsations associated with the approach of one of his migraines. "Can we get this show moving?" he interjected. He saw Micah turn and glance at him and for just a minute, he thought he could see her face soften before she nodded. "Yes. Let's get going."

"What's going on, anyway?" James asked as he assisted Garrus through the clinic and out the doors.

"Good question," Kaidan murmured as he fell into step beside Micah.

She glanced his way briefly. "Omega is not without its enemies," she replied loud enough so the others could hear her. "Some are more … adversarial than others."

"And some might just want to retrieve what they think belongs to them?" Garrus suggested.

Kaidan noticed Micah's hesitation before she replied, "Perhaps. That's always been a possibility. I've outstayed my welcome here anyway. And so have you, Garrus. Best we not to take any unnecessary chances."

"Your mission is far too important," Samara agreed readily, though her words made Kaidan feel less than reassured. Based on what Anderson and the Council had briefed him on, the mission was definitely important, but important enough to bring someone back from the dead? He frowned pondering the direction of his thoughts. Was _that_ why Cerberus had invested so much to bring her back? Were they involved in this too? Somehow? It didn't seem likely, based on what he knew of them, but anything was possible he supposed. But still he couldn't help but wonder if there wasn't something more to it than that.


	9. When Life Gives You Lemons

The journey through the streets of the Gozu District to meet up with the ship was relatively uneventful, though Kaidan suspected that had more to do with the fact that the plague had kept most people indoors than anything else. Either the people of Omega were used to such alarms going off around them that they were casual about their response, or the real threat was so unknown that they didn't know how to respond. Whatever the case, the small group led by Micah arrived at the docking platform to find the ship waiting for them, 'hatch open, engines running,' as Joker had once quipped on the SR1. However, Kaidan noticed, there was also a detachment of four Alliance marines standing just outside the entrance, armed and waiting. Good to see certain security measures were still in place.

Micah turned directly into the cockpit upon boarding while the others began making their way further into the belly of the ship. Kaidan, though, chose to follow Micah. It was her ship, of that there was no doubt, but he figured he could justify his interest in the decisions being made as a perk specific to his rank.

"Any sign on the way in of who is causing this ruckus?" he heard Micah asking as he entered. She glanced over at him, but made no sign of dismissal, so he moved off to the left and remained quiet for the moment, folding his arms across his chest.

"Cerberus," Joker told her as he began the disembarkation process. "Large ships, though. Nothing really that could do much to intercept something as small as us. Blow us out of the sky? Yeah, they got that covered, and we'll find out real quick if that's their intention, though given what they spent to fix you up again, I'm betting it's not. Land troops on Omega? That's another possibility, too, and given the number of ships out there probably the best conclusion. But capture us? I dunno, Commander. Doubtful, anyway unless they plan to open up the docking bay doors and try to scoop us out of the sky. On the other hand, this _is_ Cerberus we're talking about. Think the Illusive Man wants you back that desperately, Shepard?"

Micah snorted. "If he's wanting a return on his investment, I suppose so. But won't we have fun proving them wrong if that's their goal, hmm?"

Joker chuckled, but Kaidan had some concerns. He'd taken a pretty good look at the ship they'd boarded when they'd approached … and found he was hardly impressed by what he'd seen. This ship was not the _Normandy_ by any means.

"Get us out of here, Joker. Nice and easy like," Micah ordered before turning to exit the bridge. "Don't let them know we're even here."

Kaidan could have sworn he saw Joker pout at that. "Aww. Can't I even do a nice 'fly by' of one of their command ships?" he called after her. "What if I just buzzed one of their com towers -"

"Just fly casual and get us the hell out of here!" was the reply shouted back towards him.

Kaidan had just turned to leave when he heard Joker snort. "'Just fly casual,'" the pilot mimicked, though a quick inspection of his next actions proved that he was indeed following orders.

"Can this ship do anything but fly casual?" Kaidan asked before exiting.

Joker turned to look at him. "Oh, it might_ look_ like a heap of junk on the outside," he explained with a knowing grin, "but that was the plan all along. Made it easier for us to lurk around in the area in case we were needed and look like we belonged here. _Inside_, though, this baby is nearly as good as the SR1." He reached over to pat one of the consoles gently. "Aren't you, girl?"

Shaking his head, Kaidan left the bridge and followed Micah's footsteps until he found her near the galaxy map. He fell into step with her as she stepped down and headed towards the elevator. "So," he asked, "where are we headed?"

He had to give her credit. She waited until they were both on board the elevator and it had started to descend before reaching over to stop it between floors. Only then did she turn towards him. "That might depend," she told him, arms folding across her chest as she leaned a hip against the wall.

He could hear the open hostility in her tone and realized she was still upset from their earlier discussion. "On?"

"At the moment, I'm ready to dump you off the first sign of civilization we come upon," she returned. He saw the fire sparking in her eyes again, knew she was releasing frustration that she hadn't been able to back at the clinic. "If you're on my ship, you follow my orders. No questions asked. No doubts, no hesitations. I'm not convinced you can do that anymore, Kaidan."

"Do you think I _want _things between us to be this way?" he countered calmly.

She sighed and lifted a hand to press against the bridge of her nose. "I honestly don't know," she told him. "At one point in time, I might have said no, but now?" She gave him a sad smile and shrugged. "I can give you all the evidence I have, Kaidan - I have done, as a matter of fact - and still you can't accept the fact I'm me. With a few extra pieces and parts, yes, but I'm me!" She removed her gauntlet and pushed her sleeve up so he could see the scars there again, and the fresh cut which had left an angry red welt for the moment but already was beginning to heal over. Another one of those 'benefits' to Cerberus' rebuild of her. "Don't you think I've had doubts along the way? Concerns, especially since I have no clue in hell exactly _what_ they did to me or _why_ they did it? I refused to work with them. Apparently, they expected that the threat of 'rotting with the mechs' would convince me to join their cause, but boy were they wrong!"

Micah straightened and walked over to stand in front of him now, meeting his gaze straight on. She lifted the hand she'd bared, reached up to lightly trace the shape of his face with her fingertips. As she neared an old, familiar scar, she hesitated a moment, an added bit of pressure against his skin there, perhaps. "I could tell you the story behind these," she whispered. "I could describe the day you and I exchanged our pasts on a level I never, _ever_, thought I'd be able to with anyone." She leaned in towards him, moving up on tiptoes so she could lightly press her lips against his. It felt more like a goodbye than anything else. "I could remind you of all I know about you in other ways, too …. But it would do no good. You wouldn't believe me. You'd always have doubts."

Kaidan felt the tightness returning to his chest as she backed away from him. The sadness was still there, clearly evident in her eyes. "I trust you with my life, Kaidan. I always have. But, that's not the issue here."

"Then what is?" he challenged.

She reached over and released the hold on the elevator. As it began descending once again, she glanced back over at him and whispered, "The issue is that _you_ don't trust _me_."

After pointing Kaidan in the direction of the crew quarters, Micah headed to her cabin and closed herself inside. They were headed to Illium now that they were, by all appearances, free and clear of Omega and Cerberus, and at the very least, she needed to shower and change before they arrived. But with everything around her currently in such upheaval, she could hardly find the energy to remove her armor, let alone follow through with the rest of her plans. A part of her wanted to rant. To scream and throw things and just let it out of her system once and for all so that she could find a way to move forward and beyond it all. But one simple thing held her back - she was the captain. The commander. The glue which was to hold the group together. And if there was any one thing that she could still recall from her childhood discussions with her father, it was that a commander led by example. And leading by example did not allow for time to fall apart with the chance that the crew would see.

Sagging against the wall, Micah allowed her body to slide down to the floor. She'd hoped to see him again, that much was true. Hell, from the moment she'd seen Admiral Hackett and asked about getting into contact with everyone, Kaidan had been at the top of her list. Through the weeks on Omega and the uncertainty of survival, it had been thoughts of him that had been closest when she needed something familiar upon which to grasp. But today …. This little 'reunion,' such as it was, had not gone at all how she'd hoped or expected. _Why?_ she ranted internally instead. _Why does he have to be so damned stubborn? Why can't he see it's me? _The ache she felt inside at the thought he could really believe she was something or someone other than herself just …

Micah sighed. Always he'd been like this. Practical. Logical. Always able to see the bigger picture … or so she'd thought. Today had just been … Well, how much bigger than seeing her for who she really was could you get? She had a mission to accomplish - one she knew she'd need help for, one that she'd never even dreamed they might get paired up together for, and yet …. Swallowing tightly, she turned to stare off at her desk across the room. She knew what was there, even though she couldn't see it well from this angle. The photograph, the only thing she'd been able to take with her when leaving the Citadel and _that_ had only come about thanks to a certain physician who had been spouting the beneficial healing powers of positive thinking. Micah laughed softly, only slightly surprised at the tears that ran down her cheek then. Karin was such a dear friend. Really, since Micah's return, the only familiar face who had shown any real concern regarding her health at all ….

But that wasn't a fair assessment, she supposed. Anderson's greeting had been warm enough, though Micah had caught the edge of concern beneath it. Hackett had escorted her to the embassies personally, reassured Anderson that all was well as far as he could see things and then made Micah promise to never disappear like that again. The entire situation had been rather bizarre, but Micah had promised to see what she could do to that end. After Hackett had left, Anderson had led her to the clinic where she'd met up with Chakwas. That had been a somewhat joyful, if slightly tearful, reunion. For three days, Micah had gone through a series of physical, emotional and psychological tests, many of which had pushed her to her limit, but Karin had been there the entire way, offering reassurances and providing a shoulder to cry upon when necessary. The ordeal had been long, tiring, and certainly reminiscent of the complete and utter exhaustion of her N7 training, but Micah had made it to the end.

The briefing with Anderson and the Council had followed a day after, and within only a couple of hours after that, Micah had been sent off on her mission. This, too, was a test of sorts, she'd guessed. After all, it didn't take a genius to add up the facts after what had happened with Saren two years before. She'd been transported to Omega within a couple of days, alone, out of sight, and forgotten once again. Or, she amended, not forgotten but left to her own devices. She'd been given names of people who could help and thank god they had. Mordin and Garrus had been lifesaving influences in more ways than she could count during that time. Especially Mordin. Though she had no reason to suspect it, Micah couldn't help but wonder if somehow Chakwas had managed to find out about the salarian doctor and get in touch with him. He certainly seemed to have taken her arrival - and her unique health situation - quite in stride at the time.

But during that time, even though reunited with Garrus and back 'in the fold' so to speak, there had been something still missing. During her weeks of rehabilitation (damned biotic implants!), through the days of trying to convince Aria T'Loak that she was there to assist, Micah would have given almost anything to have one person there beside her to help. She'd recalled the days aboard the SR1 easily enough, still mourned the losses from that time, still found comfort in the friendships made. But having him there would certainly have made the job on Omega easier to bear, of that there was no doubt.

And then, quite suddenly and unexpectedly, he was. Oh, she would have given anything to be able to tell him just what the sight of him through the scope of Garrus' Mantis back at Archangel's base had done to her heart in that moment. To know that he would be there, fighting alongside her once again. To feel that complete after an absence that she knew would have hurt him worse than her because he would have had to face it all alone. All she'd done was slept through most of it. But no, he'd had to go getting all logical and practical and ….

Drawing her knees to her chest, she dropped her head to rest atop them. "Dammit, he's right," she whispered painfully, realization and acceptance settling around her in a moment of clarity. "I would have done the same." The laugh that followed was harsh. "Or worse."

Groaning softly, she forced herself to her feet. She had to get moving here. Shower. Change of clothing. Check on Garrus, Mordin, the others … She was going to be cutting it close, but if she forced herself to start now, she could do it. A quick glance at the clock by her bedside had her wincing. _Maybe._

Their stopover at Illium was supposed to have been brief, but from the moment that Micah stepped off the ship in Nos Astra and was approached by a lovely asari named Karina asking that she meet with an old friend whenever she could make the time, Micah figured something had gone wrong. With assurances that she would do so, Micah accepted the navpoint coordinates and then turned towards the others. Kaidan and James both agreed to accompany her without question (she suspected that had to do more with the fact that neither had been to the planet before than anything else, or maybe they just wanted to keep an eye on her, uncertain as they (she assumed Kaidan had briefed James by now) were about her intentions), but it was Garrus who surprised her by insisting on joining them as well. "Four is better than three when you may or may not have unknown guns aimed at you, hmm?" he countered. Micah only smirked in response. Who was she to deny him the opportunity if he was feeling better (and he assured her he was) and wanting to join the shore party?

The location on her navpoint wasn't far. Within fifteen minutes they were guided into an office and asked to wait. Moments later, a door on the far side of the room opened and a familiar face appeared before them.

"Liara!"

The asari smiled and crossed immediately to stand before Micah. "Shepard!" Micah thought there was a hint of desperation in her friend's hug, but she returned the greeting without commenting on it.

Stepping back, Micah lifted a brow at Liara and mused teasingly, "What? No, 'Where did you come from?' or joking about me being back from the dead?"

And suddenly, Liara's eyes were anywhere but on Micah's. Reaching out, Micah touched her arm. "Liara, what's going on? Are you okay? It was a joke."

"Actually," Liara replied, head finally lifting so their eyes could meet again, "it wasn't. I knew you were supposed to be back, Shepard. I'm the one responsible for getting your body to Cerberus in the first place. Or, one of those responsible at any rate."

Micah gasped and felt Kaidan stiffen beside her. Even Garrus made a somewhat confused sort of sounding grunt. James just looked … lost. Micah couldn't really blame him for that. She sure the hell was, too.

"Come over here and sit," Liara suggested, waving towards some seats. "Maybe I can explain this better." Once seated, Liara began explaining her involvement. During the telling, Micah could only sit back and try to absorb it all. Too much information, too fast and so unexpectedly, her ability at the moment to process it all seemed to be non-existent. When she finished, Liara sat back, eyes still upon Micah, but she was chewing her lower lip nervously. "I … I'm sorry if I made the wrong decision, Shepard," she concluded. "I just couldn't -"

"No." Micah leaned forward in her seat, forearms resting upon her legs as she stared down at the floor and her feet. "No, you made the right call, Liara. I just … There's just so much …."

"I know." Liara rose for a moment, crossed the room and stepped out into the hall beyond, presumably to speak to the assistant there, before returning to take her seat once more.

"Gotta admit, though," James spoke up for the first time since arriving, "I'm kinda curious why the Collectors wanted you."

Micah inhaled sharply at that observation. With all that Liara had told them, the importance of that fact had been completely lost on her so far. But he was right. Why _had_ they wanted her.

"There are reports," Liara explained, "of occasional sightings every so often and … odd requests, usually in places like Omega, just outside the Omega Relay. A certain number of left-handed salarians. Krogans who were born of parents from feuding clans. Pure-blood quarians. More recently, it's been all about healthy human biotics."

Micah blinked and glanced over at Kaidan. He, too, seemed a bit disconcerted by that. "I was hardly healthy at the time," Micah quipped in return. "And it still doesn't explain why they wanted me." Sitting back, she mused, "Or … could that be why they attacked the _Normandy_? To get to me?" Upon her return to the Citadel after being rescued from Lazarus Station, Anderson had briefed her on what they'd found out about the _Normandy_ attack over Alchera. None of it had been reassuring. And it still didn't explain why they seemed so bent on having _her_.

"Actually, I might be able to help with that," Liara broke in. But before she could continue, the door to the room opened and the assistant entered with a tray of refreshments. She set this on the table nearby before exiting the office, the door closing quickly behind her after which Liara made certain the door was secured before returning to join the others. On her way back across the room, she paused beside Garrus and whispered something near his ear. He nodded as she moved to serve everyone drinks and it was only after he'd messed around some with his omni-tool and nodded in her direction again that she continued. Taking her seat, she murmured, "Sorry for the subterfuge, but I don't want to take any unnecessary risks."

Micah glanced between Liara and Garrus for a moment, eyebrow quirked up in question. "Just a subtle jamming frequency," Garrus explained. "Enough to disrupt any bugs in the room."

"Why not just remove the bugs?" Micah enquired.

Liara smiled at her friend. "And tip them off that I know? They'd just replace them with other devices of which I wouldn't be aware." Leaning forward, she pulled up a display on her omni-tool, pressed a few buttons and sent the images to the others. "Anyway, what I was going to show you is this. I received this information a few days ago from a … mutual acquaintance."

For several moments, each person in the room viewed the footage she had sent. In it, they could see what clearly were some bug-like looking creatures transporting some odd shaped packages, and all around them seemed to be a swarm of large bugs of some sort. Large, stinging bugs. "What is this?" Micah asked.

Liara swallowed. "This information was pieced together from security footage taken during a recent attack on Freedom's Progress," she explained.

James glanced up. "Another colony?" he asked. She nodded. "But … how did this get out? I mean, they've been taking _every_one from what I've seen. Did they miss someone? Who put this together?"

"In a manner of speaking, that is exactly what happened," Liara replied. "This information was pulled from the omni-tool of a young quarian who was at the colony on his pilgrimage."

"Quarian …." Micah's eyes sought out Liara's. "You got this from Tali, didn't you?"

Liara nodded. "Yes. She … well, she and a team were sent to investigate, to find their quarian companion to take him back to the Flotilla. While there, they ran into some representatives of Cerberus."

Micah stiffened. "Is she okay? No, scratch that … if she wasn't, she wouldn't have gotten this out." Sighing, she ran a hand over her face. "Right then. So, did Tali and her team run into trouble?"

Liara shrugged. "All I know is what Tali told me. She said they ran into a team from Cerberus who came to investigate. The Cerberus people tried to take off with Veetor, their quarian, but they managed to get him back, but not without losing some of her team in the process. Apparently, the Cerberus team tried to convince her that you were still alive … and working for them."

Micah froze. "Shit."

"Tali said she didn't believe them, said that if you _had_ been working with them, you'd have been leading the mission, not staying in the background. After finding Veetor, the quarians left and took the information he'd pulled together with them. She decided on the off chance that you _were_ alive, I would know how to get in touch with you. Or," she chuckled softly, "would know how to get the information _to_ you at least. And if not you, then to the Alliance."

"Good call," Kaidan murmured as he continued to sort through the information.

"Indeed. Her report sums up the information pretty well. Everyone taken. No sign of attack. But the video footage goes a long way to showing what actually happened, I think."

Micah set her drink aside and rose to her feet. Wandering over to the large picture window that looked down onto the main trading and market exchange below, she crossed her arms and stared out. "Well, it gives us another lead," she finally murmured.

"That it does."

Micah nearly jumped when she realized Kaidan had followed up behind her. He was standing close, but not too close. She thought he wanted to say something, perhaps privately, but he remained silent for now. Their eyes met and held for a moment before he broke away and glanced back at the others. "We should probably go," he announced. "Maybe some of the others can contribute some insight into this. We also need to alert the Council."

Liara rose quickly, stepping towards them. "Wait, please," she insisted. "There's something else you need to know." She turned to face Micah directly. "This morning I found out that there is a contract out on your head, Shepard."

"But … why?" Micah asked. "Hardly anyone knows I'm alive. I mean, the only ones who do are …."

"The Illusive Man is behind it."

Micah frowned. "That doesn't make any sense."

"I thought he wanted you back alive, Commander?" Vega asked.

Micah nodded. "Everything I've seen or heard to this point suggests that. He invested a lot of credits into bringing me back. Why would he have me killed?"

"Because you won't play the game he wants?" Kaidan offered.

Garrus rose and joined them. "Kaidan has a point, Shepard. The Illusive Man has been looking for you for almost three months now. If he can't find you, don't you think he'd have you taken out so you don't cause him any more difficulties?"

Micah remained silent for a moment before shaking her head. "I suppose it's possible, but I really don't think that's it." She thought back to the little she'd learned about the Illusive Man, Cerberus and her resurrection project before Miranda and Jacob had left the station. It just didn't fit.

"Well, whatever the case," Kaidan pointed out, "if there's a contract out on you, we need to get it resolved. Quickly. If we're going to be focused on hunting down the Collectors and figuring this out, you don't need that kind of distraction."

Micah sought out Liara again. "What do you know?"

"The assassin is a good one. I'd go so far as to say one of the best. He's a drell named Thane Krios. He has a history of this sort of work, too. And my sources say he's here on Illium."

Micah smiled then, an idea beginning to form at this announcement. "Uh oh," James muttered. Garrus chuckled as he glanced over. "You have _that_ right, Lieutenant," he teased. "I've seen Shepard get that look one too many times in the past. And from the looks of it now, I'd say we're probably not going to like it."

Micah chuckled. "Don't you trust me, Garrus?" she asked.

"Let's not go there, Shepard," he returned. "It's not that I don't trust you … it's that I know how your plans inevitably end up …."

She laughed softly. "In a Mako and climbing up the side of a mountain?" she offered. His groan was enough to cause another chuckle. "Well, this time, will be different." Turning to face them all, she began to outline her idea.

Kaidan stood off to the side, pretending to be interested in the equipment that was for sale in the display in front of him. He was not happy about this arrangement one bit. And damned if she didn't know it … and had simply offered a smile in return. Was she doing this on purpose? he couldn't help but wonder. Trying to prove a point? Payback for his doubts about her at the moment? Which really, when he considered it more closely, weren't so much doubts about _her_ per se as much as they were about what Cerberus might have _done_ to her. Liara's admission of involvement had all but cleared up doubts about whether it was the real Micah or not.

"I'm in position."

Her voice rang out soft but clear across their comlinks, a quick check noting that she was on the public channel. Garrus and James were also nearby, in similar positions to back her up as Micah made herself available in plain sight out in the market area. There were so many ways that this situation could go so very wrong if they weren't careful ….

"You know, if you keep scowling so hard, your face will get stuck that way."

Kaidan blinked back his surprise and glanced at his connection again. This time, he noted, it was a private line. "You're taking unnecessary risks," he replied quietly.

"I'm flushing out my quarry," she countered. "Or, rather, allowing him to think he's flushing me out."

Kaidan sighed, pointing at one of the items for the vendor to pull out for him to look at. If they were going to make this look real, he'd best start playing his part. "You're going to get your fool self killed. Again, I might add." The moment he said the words regretted them. He really was worried, though, and it was hindering his ability to think clearly on this mission. But he'd be damned if he'd leave her now.

At the sound of her soft chuckling, Kaidan realized two things. First, she hadn't taken offense at his comment. Second, he felt his body reacting to that sound in old and familiar ways. Sighing, he pretended to examine the weapons mod the vendor set before him. Over two years apart, death separating them, and she still could get him to react. It just wasn't fair. "You can be such a worrywart," she chided good naturedly.

"I'd say I've got good reason," he replied.

The silence that followed was enough of a response for him. When it began to hit the awkward stage, though, he started reaching for the button. Micah was faster. "Kaidan, I-"

It took him a moment to realize that was it. Only then did the abrupt suddenness with which her words were cut off have him reaching to switch channels and key the others into the situation as he handed the mod back to the vendor and turned away. "Where is she?" he demanded, beginning to weave his way through foot traffic.

"She's standing near a railing overlooking the skycar parking area below," Garrus replied. He had the best vantage point, having opted for a position that would allow him sight from above. "Hard to tell what exactly is going on. There's someone to her right, seated on a bench, and someone to her left, looks to be having a conversation over a comlink or something."

"James?" Kaidan called. "Anything?"

"Nada, _jefe_," he replied. "I'm having trouble getting in close, though. Too many people. Someone announce an blue-light special or something? Where'd all these people come from?"

Kaidan had to agree that there seemed to suddenly be too many extra bodies around the area. When they'd come up with the plan, they'd chosen this particular location and time of day because it was supposed to be slow.

"Wait." Garrus' voice broke through just as Kaidan thought he could see her in the distance. "She's moving."

"Which way?" Kaidan asked. He hesitated to reach for his weapon in such a crowded location, instead pulling the strands of dark energy towards his hand. This he could maybe get away with before alerting too many bystanders of the danger lurking nearby. He would just have to be patient and wait for the right moment.

"Left," Garrus replied. Kaidan thought the turian sounded a bit out of breath and wondered if he was switching positions. "There's someone beside her now, on her right. They've turned to leave the area. Doorway leading further into Nos Astra."

"Got it," Kaidan replied. A movement to his right, about ten yards away, told him James had seen him and was following as well. Picking up his pace, he continued to weave his way through the crowd.

Micah had no doubts that Kaidan would figure out what had happened almost immediately. If not the specifics, he'd be able to sort out that she'd been intercepted by the sudden break in their communication. Knowing him, later when this was all over, he'd also point out that being the 'worrywart' as she'd called him, had its advantages, too.

Though she'd been caught up in her conversation with him while waiting, Micah _had_ been aware of her surroundings at the time. After detailing her plans to the others, Liara had assisted by providing as much information as possible on this assassin. With that in mind, Micah had felt relatively confident going into this mission. Her goal, aside from convincing the man not to kill her, would be to see if she could enlist his aid, ultimately so she could determine just who _was_ trying to kill her. If he would not assist, well, two could play his little game if necessary. She wasn't N7 trained for nothing, after all ….

But he'd managed to sneak up on her, and it had only been in the last couple of seconds as he'd taken the seat on the bench beside her that she'd finally become aware of him. The person on her left had been so involved in his conversation at that point that Micah had tuned him out and put all her focus on the drell … just in time for him to speak.

"Commander Shepard."

"Mr. Krios."

There had been a moment's pause, pregnant with the surprise of one adjusting to something unexpected. "You were ... expecting me then." It had been a statement, not a question.

Facing out over the railing, Micah had smiled softly. "I was," she'd agreed.

"That might make this situation much more difficult."

Micah had turned slightly then, eyes falling upon his, noting he was dressed in casual clothing but was armed with a pistol. "It might," she'd agreed. "On the other hand, if you were to, say, listen to the story from my perspective for a few moments … you might see things in a clearer light?"

He'd risen from the bench, moving to stand beside her, folding himself casually against the railing as any bystander might have done. "Normally, I would refuse. However, your reputation being what it is, Commander, even from beyond the grave," he'd replied, "I can hardly let such an opportunity pass."

Micah had smiled at that. "My sole request, aside from a few minutes of your time, would be that we move this to a less crowded area." She had nodded back at the crowd filtering past them. "I would not have innocents harmed on my account."

There had been a moment of hesitation, but the drell had bowed his head slightly in polite agreement. "That is acceptable," he'd told her. "I know of a location that might better suit our needs."

But now, as they finally arrived at their destination, an out of the way juncture of streets some blocks inside Nos Astra, Micah wondered if he really would allow her the chance to speak her piece. Ultimately, she was simply hoping to stall for time to give the others to show up.

"I must admit," Thane told her after a moment, "I was rather … intrigued when I was given your name as a contract. Like the rest of the galaxy, I was under the impression that you had already died."

"Yes," she replied, turning to face him, "I'm sure that was a bit confusing. And also, perhaps, should have been a bit of a warning?" She arched an eyebrow at him waiting to see his response.

"Of?"

"Let me ask you this then," she continued. "When you took this contract … aside from the fact that you believed I was dead already, was there nothing that had you wondering at the legitimacy of it?" She watched as his eyes blinked, but he seemed to be considering her words at least. "Mr. Krios, I believe that we both are being manipulated in this instance."

"Please, explain."

Micah turned away from him and took a step or two away. She wasn't trying to get away from him, and he seemed to realize that, but rather have a bit of space in which to pace. It was something she liked to do when thinking. Particularly when reasoning something out. Like this. "I was given to understand that your client is the Illusive Man?" she asked. When he nodded, she continued, "Have you been made aware of the circumstances of my return?"

"I was told that you were brought back by the group known as Cerberus," he admitted.

She nodded. "The same group that is led by the Illusive Man," she countered.

"Indeed."

Folding her arms across her chest, she looked up at him. "Does that not strike you as contradictory?"

He shrugged. "Not at all," he replied. "I was given information to suggest that you were a project that had gone rogue and needed to be disposed of before you brought harm to anyone outside certain circles."

Micah stood perfectly still and spoke softly, enunciating each word distinctly as she spoke. "I was the subject of a four billion credit project that I had not requested. For over two years, they worked to bring me back to life. The circumstances of my awakening were such that, as soon as I was conscious I was instructed to don my armor and grab my weapon and fight."

He remained silent as she continued. "I know nothing about the reasons for my return, nor why I was chosen in the first place because I made sure to become separated from them as soon as possible. I certainly wasn't asked if it was what I wanted. In the time since, I have not taken any action against Cerberus in any way shape or form. You tell me how I am a 'rogue' and posing any possible 'harm' to anyone within that organization. I have a mission, yes. My mission might bring me into contact with these people at some point in the future, yes. But I am not openly seeking them out for confrontation nor do I wish to."

Taking a deep breath, Micah rose to her full height which, admittedly, only brought her up to his shoulder. "I would also ask you to keep this in mind: the mission I am on, while outwardly is for the protection of humans and the Alliance, ultimately may come down to a security issue for the entire galaxy. Is this something you want to be responsible for disrupting?"

"Commander, you mistake me if you think I have personal feelings involved in this. I am but a weapon, hired by another to do a job."

A smile curved at her lips. "As am I," she countered. "Let me ask you this then. Was it the Illusive Man himself who took out the contract? Does that even make sense? Someone who has invested so much money already into bringing me back … only to have you destroy all the work involved?" The slightest of frowns began to form, if she was reading his face right and considering that he was one of the few drell she'd ever spoken to more than in passing, she could not be certain at all she was reading him correctly.

"The contract was arranged through intermediaries on both ends," he admitted after a moment. "And while I cannot vouch for the Illusive Man's spokespeople, I can say that I have absolute faith in mine."

"And your fee?"

"It was considerable enough for me to believe that the Illusive Man was involved, yes."

Micah sighed and turned away, her back towards him. It was a risk, she knew it. She also knew that he'd know she knew it and therefore, in a rather convoluted sort of way, trusted that he would not use it to his advantage. Though he was a trained and highly effective assassin, all accounts portrayed him as an 'honorable' one. "You do realize, don't you," she finally added quietly in an attempt to drive home her last point, "that in an organization like Cerberus they no doubt have their own people who can perform such activities without hiring outside contractors as it were."

"There will always be a need for services such as mine."

He'd stepped closer, she noticed, his voice nearly beside her ear which indicated he was standing right behind her. Was he preparing to dispose of her now? she wondered. From everything she'd seen, he prefered to use his guns for his assassinations, though she knew him to be trained martially as well. As was she. Which, granted, _could_ have been part of the reason he'd be chosen to take her out, but something about this entire situation still was not settling right for her. She could almost see it ….

And then it hit her, suddenly and with such force that it made her gasp audibly. Loud enough, apparently, that it could be heard beyond just the two of them.

"Commander?"

Micah smiled as three familiar voices echoed around them. She should have known they would all notice and react as one. "Hold," she called out to them. Glancing up over her shoulder, for the drell was still standing still behind her, she asked, "What is it to be? My death or yours? Or," she added as an afterthought, "something else altogether?"

"You obviously have something in mind," he replied, tilting his head so he could meet her gaze.

"We are both being manipulated," she insisted. "Pawns in someone else's game. For whatever reason, someone wants it to look as if the Illusive Man is having me taken out. Therefore, we are both … expendable on someone's list. Even if you were to take me down today, they would still have to come after you. Logic dictates that."

"I have defeated the like before," he replied.

"Were they a known or unknown quarry?" The look on his face answered that one for her. "Join with me for now," she offered. "Leave the contract unfulfilled until we can verify who was behind it. At that point in time, we can move forward. But I promise you," she turned around so that they were facing each other and noticed that he still had his pistol in hand, "if it turns out that I was wrong, you will have your opportunity to fulfill your contract."

There was a bit of a quirk at his lips then, the first less than serious expression she had seen on his face since they had met. "An opportunity?"

She smiled and extended her hand. "Well, I _will_ make you work for it," she returned.

He took her hand and shook it, and as he did so James and Kaidan moved forward with Garrus hustling to join them a short time later. "I agree to your terms, Commander," he told her. "And please, call me Thane."

"Welcome aboard, Thane," Micah returned. "Now, before we head back to the ship, I should probably go reassure a friend that I am alright."

The look of relief on Liara's face was enough to let Micah know she'd made the right call. "We're good," she assured the asari softly while giving her a quick hug.

"Thank the goddess!" Liara replied on a sigh. "You've no idea how worried I was!"

Micah chuckled and glanced over at Thane, offering, "Your reputation certainly precedes you."

"So it would appear," he replied.

Liara laughed with them before reaching for something on her desk. Handing over two datapads to Micah, she told her, "While you were … busy, I made arrangements to assure that your departure from Illium goes as unnoticed as possible."

Micah blinked. "Oh?"

Pointing to the first of the datapads, Liara offered a mischievous grin. "I wasn't certain if you would be having to make a 'quick getaway' or not. Anyway, let's just say that Joker is at this moment settling into his new accommodations, as is the rest of your group."

Micah scanned the information and gasped. "A ship? Where the … Liara! This is a -"

"I know good and well what it is, Shepard," she chastised lightly. "I did, after all, make the arrangements. Anyway, I've taken the liberty to get things all sorted." She pointed to the docking bay information on the pad. "I've also arranged for your Alliance vessel to be brought back to Alliance space in a … roundabout sort of manner, I believe you call it?"

Micah's eyes narrowed. "Do I even want to know what that means when you say it?"

Liara grinned. "Probably not, but it will also distract anyone who might have known you were last on that ship."

"I … okay, I can't argue with that," Micah finally agreed. Pulling out the second pad from beneath the first, she began skimming its contents while asking, "And this?"

"Some potential leads for additional assistance. I have put out some inquiries, called in a few favors, that sort of thing." Liara's smile widened. "You'd be surprised what can get done that way."

Micah chuckled. "Better watch out or you'll be rivaling the Shadow Broker, Liara," she teased.

Liara's face seemed to darken just a bit at that, but the smile soon returned. "Somehow, I doubt that."

Micah scanned the list of names and brief information regarding them before handing it over to Kaidan. Two of the names there gave her pause if only for the recognition factor, but that could be sorted out later. "I don't suppose you'll be coming along too?" she asked softly.

Liara shook her head. "No, Shepard, I'm sorry. There's something I need to do first before I can commit myself elsewhere."

Micah nodded, recalling the mention of a friend who needed help. Seeing as it was partially her fault, she murmured, "Don't hesitate to call me when you know, okay? I want to help."

"I will," Liara promised. Then with a brighter smile, she nudged her shoulder into Micah's. "Now, you'd better get going or you'll lose your Captain's cabin to a certain Flight Lieutenant who has already boarded …."

Micah groaned. "Joker knows better," she returned, though there was a hesitance in her tone as she bit her lip. The look on Kaidan's and Garrus' faces, though, were all the impetus she needed to get moving. "Right. Best not to take any chances there. Let's go."

* * *

_**A/N:**__ yes, there is an unintentional nod at "Star Wars" in this chapter ... I only realized it when I went back to edit the chapter! lol Just goes to show how much of an influence those movies were on me, I guess._


	10. The Renegade and the Thief

Settling into the new ship didn't take long at all, though Micah had to admit she had to wonder at the design behind it. Her cabin, though of a normal size she supposed, had several personal extras that she had been quite unprepared for, one of the most surprising being a self-contained fish tank in the wall near the doorway. Which was not to say it was unappreciated. Though she had some concerns about having fish aboard the ship (there was a history there, a personal one and one that she didn't like to delve into too deeply), like the rest of the vessel, it had been a gift and she could hardly refuse it.

After arriving on board, Micah made arrangements with Joker for departure from Illium, determining to wait a couple hours before actually leaving port in order to make it seem as if they were not in fact who they actually were. They notified Liara to their plans as well who then made arrangements with the flight control in the area, and soon all was ready. It was at that point, Micah had left Joker to settle into his new bridge area and she began to explore the rest of the ship.

The first thing she decided was that this ship was _huge_ by comparison to the last one, though Micah honestly had no idea if this was a difference due more to changes in class of ship or if it was specifically because it was of asari design. In the end, though, this could only be a good thing, especially if they were going to recruit the others on the list Liara had given her.

Following recent trends in ship design, her cabin was on the top level. Alone. That was a bit disconcerting in a way, though it did make a certain sort of sense … except for Micah who preferred to have her cabin where the crew could approach whenever they felt it necessary. She was afraid that having the cabin separated out like this might be more intimidating. There was also a private reassurance factor for her having her cabin down among the crew as well, but then again, no one had asked her when coming up with the design build, so she would simply have to make do.

The CIC and communications departments were on the same level as the bridge, and like the original _Normandy,_ the ship was equipped with a large, interactive galaxy map. That at least was something she was used to and would not have to learn on the fly. The level below that was one of two which held crews quarters (the second being two levels below that, just above the cargo bay) as well as housing the kitchen and mess hall. Also located here were the medical bay and labs which Mordin had taken over for the moment, as well as two lounges for crew entertainment. Quarters for the XO were also located on this level. As she walked by, Micah stopped to check in briefly and noted that Kaidan seemed to be settling in well enough. "Thought you planned to dump my 'sorry ass' off at the nearest port?" he challenged gently.

Micah snickered before turning to leave the room. "'Civilization' I believe was the word I used," she countered lightly. Both were well aware they were beyond that point now.

Continuing forth, Micah ventured further below, checking out the engineering level which also included a several larger cabins that Mordin, Samara and Thane had claimed. Below them was the second level of crew quarters, more cabins (of which only one had been claimed by Garrus at this point), as well as an entry to the main battery. A quick peek inside and Micah noted that Garrus had made himself at home. However, unwilling to bother him just yet, she continued on without interruption. Below this level was the cargo bay and it was here that Micah found one last surprise.

"Hey, Commander."

She wasn't at all surprised to find Vega here when she arrived. The armory was located here as well, and he was currently working on his shotgun. "Vega. So, what do you think of the ship?" she asked as she strolled up beside him.

He chuckled and shook his head while glancing over at her. "Big ship," he commented, "but nice."

She smiled back at him. "That it is," she agreed. She found she still couldn't imagine how Liara had managed to pull it off. That might require an in-depth discussion with the asari at some point in future, she supposed. Turning, she spotted the equipment on the far side of the bay. "What on Earth …?" The words escaped before she could stop herself.

Vega followed her gaze and laughed. "Yeah, your asari friend seemed to think of everything," he replied. "There's more gear there than you'd find in most gyms back home."

The one room Micah had haunted on a regular basis on board the _Normandy_ had been the small gym. A place she could release pent up energy that she had no other outlet for … well, until later, maybe. But certainly a place where she could also work out frustrations through physical activity. There hadn't been a crew member aboard who hadn't thought to check there when looking for her when she was needed.

Crossing the room, Micah approached the new gear and began inspecting it, fingers lightly touching each piece, almost reverently. Vega hadn't been kidding when comparing it to the size of a gym back on Earth. There were free weights, a punching bag, a couple of treadmills … you name it. Where had Liara come up with all of this?

"You like working out, Lola?"

Micah turned to face Vega. Cocking an eyebrow at him, she echoed, "Lola?"

He laughed softly and she could hear a bit of nervousness in the sound. "Yeah, uh sorry, ma'am. You just … you remind me of someone I knew back home. Best friend's older sister was named Lola."

Folding her arms across her chest, Micah felt her mischievous side kick into gear. "Mmhmm." A hint of amusement could be heard in her reply.

He was now rubbing at the back of his neck. "Yeah. She was hot, tough … um …." His face was starting to redden and Micah nearly laughed aloud. "Sorry. Won't happen again."

Micah snorted as he began to turn away. Reaching out, she touched his arm lightly just to get his attention and coaxed, "Now, Lieutenant, don't be so hasty. I didn't say I didn't like it."

He tossed a skeptical glance back at her over his shoulder. "Yeah?"

She grinned. "Yeah. However, this being an Alliance run ship and all …."

He seemed almost relieved. "Yeah. I'll be careful."

"Thanks." Her smile turned into a smirk then. "So … you give everyone nicknames, or am I just the lucky one here?"

Vega chuckled. "Heh … well, sometimes peoples' names just don't … match up, y'know? So I just give them new ones. Helps me remember them better."

Folding her arm across her chest, Micah tilted her head at him. "Okay, I'll bite. Who else?"

Vega shrugged. "Too soon to tell yet with this group," he begged off. "You just … sort of … well, I'd say your actions back on Illium just reminded me of Lola and it sort of … stuck. That's all."

Micah chuckled. "Right. I'll check back with you on that later then."

He nodded. "Fine by me, ma'am." Then he nodded over at the equipment. "So, you never said ..."

Micah's grin widened. "Oh yeah, I like working out," she told him.

"Yeah?"

She nodded. "Runner. Long distance. Had I been land-bound for school as a kid, might even have joined the cross country team," she explained. "I've still got the standing long-distance record at basic, last I checked." She eyed him again. "I'm guessing you prefer lifting?"

"Yeah, you could say that," he replied. "Free weights, my weight," he winked at her. "From the time I was little I just … it just made sense to me."

They bantered a bit more after that, but Micah soon moved on to finish her investigation of the ship. Once concluded, Micah called her team together up in the conference room for a quick update on their current situation. They would be heading back to the Citadel first, in a casual and somewhat haphazard sort of way just in case anyone should have made the connection between the change of ships and them. Also, they hoped to pick up an additional squad member or two along the way.

Kaidan waited for her call of permission before entering the cabin. "Hey," he greeted her as he stepped inside. "I've got an update on …" He paused when he found her feeding the fish in the tank on the wall, murmuring to the creatures through the glass, occasionally tapping her finger as trying to get their attention. "Wait … what did you just call that blue one?" he asked as he crossed to her side and peered through the glass. "Sushi?"

Micah giggled. Pointing to each of the fish, she began naming them off. "Lunch, Snack, Dinner, Sushi, Breakfast, Elevenses …."

Kaidan frowned. "What kind of names are those?" he challenged.

Micah sighed and glanced up at him. "They are the kind that you don't get emotionally attached to so that when you forget to feed them and they die, their passing is less painful," she replied.

"What kind of logic is that?"

A green one, late to the group, dashed out from behind some piece of cover. "Oh, there's Charlie, too. Sorry, Charlie!" Turning to face Kaidan, she added, "A ten-year old's logic. When I was a kid, on board mom and dad's ships, the only pets I could have were fish. But I was horrible about remembering to feed them. So much for lessons in responsibility, right? Anyway, after a while, I just started calling them things like Lunch or Dinner and leaving it at that. More impersonal, you know?"

Shaking his head, Kaidan kept any additional comments to himself.

"Did you need something?" she asked then, giving him her full attention.

"Oh, right." Kaidan handed over a datapad. "We've received an update on this 'Jack' at Purgatory. Seems Cerberus was there recently, apparently trying to recruit her. However, she was able to break out of there, away from them and steal a ship to get away. Reports circulating state she's a 'dangerous criminal' and 'out for revenge' on those who've wronged her, especially Cerberus. Why they ever thought they could get her to cooperate is beyond me. Anyway, last reports had her headed towards Omega."

Micah sighed. Figured. Dammit, were they going to be competing with Cerberus for a team all along the way here? She'd have to talk with Liara about that, see if that was the reason she'd given Micah the names in the first place, or if this was just … coincidence. "Alright … let's head that way then. Might be the best place to talk with her anyway. Safer for everyone involved."

"Safer," he echoed. "Right. Only you would think that. And if Cerberus is still there?"

"We'll play it by ear," she decided, handing back the datapad. "Let's go brief the others."

"What makes you think I'd join you?"

Micah shrugged casually while ignoring the younger woman's surly tone. She'd read the notes Liara had given them several times before their arrival. If there was one thing of which she was absolutely certain, it was that Jack would _not_ work with Cerberus. That gave her the advantage. Jack, too, if Micah could just make her see it. "I'm not 'thinking' anything in particular, simply wondering if you'd be interested is all," she explained casually. "However, … with people like Cerberus after me …."

"You'll be running into Cerberus?"

Micah saw the gleam that entered the other woman's eyes. _Oh yeah, I've got her now._ Nodding, she elaborated, "More than likely, yeah. I sort of … ruined a pet project they had going. Is that important?"

Snarling, Jack leaned in towards Micah and growled, "Fuck yeah! Those assholes did this shit to me." Micah watched as Jack pointed to some scarring that blended in so well with her tattoos that she hadn't noticed them before now. "It's long past time for payback."

"Hmm." Micah took a moment to consider the possibilities. Leaning forward then, she suggested, "Alright, I've got a proposal for you then." She side glanced Jack. "If you think you might be interested, that is."

Jack snorted. "Shit. I'm listening, aren't I?"

Micah bit back a smile. "You join my group and help me find out about the Collectors and do whatever's necessary to take them down as a threat, and I will see what I can do about getting you opportunities to take your … frustrations out on Cerberus."

Jack snorted again, though this time it was more a sound of derision than anything. "How do I even know for sure we'll be running into them -"

"They're after me specifically," Micah explained quietly. "That pet project I ruined? They brought me back from the dead and I bolted, refused to work for them. The Illusive Man's not too happy with me at the moment. Plus," she added, "they appear to be after the Collectors as well, and the Collectors are my main mission. There's no doubt in my mind our paths will cross. Frequently." She sat back again and waited. "So, we got a deal?"

It took a moment, but Jack finally nodded, a feral sort of grin crossing her face. "Fuck yeah, we got a deal! Let's get going."

Rising, Micah nodded off to the side and both Samara and Kaidan stepped forward. "Good. Then let's get the hell off this rock and you can meet the rest of the crew."

Arrival at the Citadel was less troublesome than it might have been in the end. Apparently, not only had Liara made arrangements to have the Alliance vessel that Micah had been using returned, but she had also gotten word to Alliance Command as well, including the fact that Micah and her crew would be somewhat delayed upon their return. As they neared the Citadel on arrival then, and Joker made contact with the docking authorities, they were immediately processed and without incident.

Before exiting the ship, Micah pulled the core of her team together for a quick briefing. "Myself, Commander Alenko and Lieutenant Vega will be the only ones disembarking at this time," she explained. "I'll be up front: We have to meet with the Council and there is a chance things will not go as planned. If we need to leave quickly, I would rather have everyone in place, ready to go."

"Expecting something like Ilos, Commander?" Garrus asked.

Micah winced. "I hope not," she replied in all seriousness. "I am hoping the Alliance will back me on this whatever the Council decides regarding my status. However, from the information I've seen so far, and you too Garrus," she saw him nod, "I have no doubts that the Collectors are a real, viable threat. We will do whatever it takes to stop them. And if that means we make a run for it and take care of it on our own, well …." She sighed softly. "If you require any specific supplies while we are here, place your requisitions and we'll see that they are fulfilled as best as we can."

After dismissing them, Micah ducked up to her cabin briefly before meeting Kaidan and James at the hatch. They had a few minutes to wait as decontamination procedures were completed. She was ducking into a favorite dark hoodie when she joined them. "Ready for this?" Kaidan murmured as she stepped up beside him.

Micah sighed. "As ready as I ever am to face the Council, I suppose," she returned. Vega had stepped off to the left somewhat, chatting with one of the crew members seated nearby, so she turned to face Kaidan. "You do realize, this is your chance, right?" she asked, glancing up at him.

He frowned, eyes narrowing as he met her gaze. "What do you mean?"

"To break free? Your mission for the Council is complete. You don't have to stay with me." Her eyes hardened just a bit before she added, "Especially if I end up having to make a run for it again."

Kaidan held her gaze. "Unless they order me to stay with you," he countered. "Or I decide I want to stay?"

Micah's eyes widened a bit in surprise, but she did smile. "Yeah, I suppose there is that," she agreed. "But still … You deserve your own command, Kaidan, and being tied to me might just ..."

He was quiet for a moment and Micah continued to hold his gaze as he returned it, wondering what he was thinking. She didn't have long to wait, though. "I realize we've reached 'civilization,'" he murmured. "Are you trying to … let me down easy, Commander?"

She felt the first real smile in quite a while pull at her lips then. But before she could respond, the sound of the hatch opening broke in. Giving him one last, quick look, she told him quietly but sincerely, "Kaidan, nothing with you has ever been easy. That's been half the fun."

She turned to leave when she felt his arm reach out to grab hers for a moment and she glanced back at him. "And the other half?" he asked.

Micah's smiled eased into something gentle. "I'll tell you that when you're ready to hear it," she promised. Turning back towards the door, she rolled her shoulders and called over to Vega, "Let's get this show on the road, Lieutenant." His quick, "Aye, ma'am," encouraged her smile to widen.

They made their way from the docking bays onto Zakera Ward, and as they neared the entrypoint, Micah's attention was caught by the sound of a nearby advertisement kiosk. It took her a moment to realize why. "Commander Shepard. Enter the password and receive a free gift."

Micah stopped in her tracks, startled at the personalization of the message. "What the …."

"Got problems with Collectors? Try Kasumi's credit services," the kiosk spoke again.

Micah glanced around the area, searching for some sort of clue to determine why suddenly an advertisement kiosk would be singling her out. Apparently, she wasn't moving quick enough, though, because another message targeted her. "Commander Shepard. We have the finest companions waiting for you. Perhaps something petite, smart and Japanese would be your style."

Micah heard Vega snort to her left and she darted a quick look over at him. It must have been severe enough that he got the message, because he quickly swallowed back whatever comment he might have made and straightened up. Literally.

"Just enter your password for a prize worth millions of credits."

Kaidan sighed. "Persistent, isn't she?" he queried quietly.

Micah chuckled, for the first time finding some humor in the entire situation. "Seems to be, yes," she agreed.

"Okay, really? How many times can you just walk by without stopping?" Now it was Micah's turn to swallow back amusement. That took a moment or two, but still it appeared to make this Kasumi person nervous. "Shepard, you do have the password, right?"

Sighing, Micah turned to face the kiosk. "Silence is golden," she murmured, echoing the phrase that Liara had given them in the dossier.

"Good to finally meet you, Commander Shepard. Kasumi Goto. I'm a fan."

"Oh really?" Micah mused. "What's with the password and the sneaking around, then? Are you in trouble or something?"

There was a hint of pride in her tone as Kasumi spoke next. "I'm the best thief in the business, not the most famous. Need to watch my step to keep it that way. I also needed to make sure this was legit, and I have no doubts now. You're the real Commander Shepard."

Micah's brow raised at that. Her return was still not general knowledge yet. "What makes you so sure? Others seem to still have questions." _Council notwithstanding._

"There's a certain … aura about you," Kasumi explained. "Like you've seen things no one else has. Even without knowing what you look like? I knew it was you."

Micah couldn't fault her for that observation. "I take it you received the information on our mission then?" Micah asked next, deciding it was time to get things moving.

"I did. Your broker was quite … detailed. Her timing was excellent, as well. I'd been approached by Cerberus recently with a similar offer."

Micah heard Vega gasp, felt Kaidan stiffen slightly beside her. "I see. No doubt they're offering you more. What made you seek me out instead?"

Kasumi sighed. "I have a little matter that needs … resolution," she explained. "Cerberus wasn't interested in my problem."

"And you thought I might be." It had been a statement, not a question.

"Your reputation precedes you, Commander." She took a few moments to outline her request. "It's in the area, so to speak, and could be taken care of before we leave Citadel space."

Micah nodded. "I think we can do that," she offered.

"Good. It'll be fun. And, if you're lucky, you won't even have to draw your gun."

Micah snorted. "Where's the fun in that?" she countered glibly. Though she wasn't looking at him, Micah could almost envision Kaidan rolling his eyes at that comment.

Kasumi had no direct response to that, instead saying, "We should probably wrap this up. You look pretty silly standing there talking to an advertisement."

Micah had to laugh at that. "No doubt," she agreed. "Go ahead and board the ship. We can talk further when I return." As she spoke, she used her omni-tool to send a quick message to Garrus so he could alert the rest of the ship to assist Kasumi with finding a room.

"See you on the ship, Shepard."

Recruitment of her thief over, Micah led the way through the Citadel and into the embassy, Kaidan and James trailing a step behind her. Anderson was there, rising from his seat, no doubt warned by the assistant in the lobby that they were headed in. "Commanders. Lieutenant," he greeted them. He stepped around the desk and walked over to Micah. "Damn, am I glad to see you," he murmured.

Micah snorted softly. "Oh, ye of little faith," she teased before sighing. Taking the hand he offered, she shook it heartily. "Anderson, we need to talk."

"First things first, Shepard," he told her, gesturing towards the vidcom. "The Council needs to be informed as a whole that you've returned."

But Micah reached out to grab his arm. "David … wait." He hesitated and she knew he caught the undercurrent she'd sent by using his first name in such a way. "We _need_ to talk first."

Turning, he gestured her towards the balcony looking over the Presidium. Micah followed as did Kaidan and James. "Less chance of interruption," Anderson told them quietly, "and of being overheard by unwanted ears." Micah nodded. "So then, what's going on you wanted to discuss it with me instead of the Council?"

Micah took a deep breath. "I wanted you to know the reason I've not been checking in of late," she explained.

Anderson frowned. "I got your report. Alenko's too. Hell, even Vakarian and Solus sent me messages and I didn't even ask for them."

Micah managed a chuckle and a fond smile. "Yeah, that doesn't surprise me," she returned. "Look, I had someone who was sending the information out of Omega for me. A turian. Someone who I was told was trustworthy."

"Sidonis. Right. Garrus mentioned him."

"David, the information he was to send had a whole lot of details in it," Micah told him. "Details I no longer have. Proof that the Collectors were going after human colonies specifically, and didn't plan to stop there." She winced as she recalled some of the information Aria had shown her.

Anderson sighed this time. "Just our luck," he muttered. "Do you have _any_thing that could convince the Council?" he asked next. "You know as well as I do that they're not going to just … accept our word on this. Hell, they're already convinced that the 'Reapers' are a myth. That Sovereign was a one-off experience."

Micah rolled her eyes, but wasn't surprised. "The only 'evidence' I have is from the recent attack on Freedom's Progress," she said. "And that isn't really proof of anything except that the Collectors are most likely the ones behind the other attacks. It does nothing to prove that the Reapers are working with them." She pressed a few buttons on her omni-tool and sent him the information.

Anderson nodded. "Look, let's try it this way. Let me take the information to the Council. They'll at least _listen_ to me. For now, I'll keep you out of it unless they specifically request your presence."

"David, there's something else you should know," she told him. "Cerberus is investigating this thing too. Remind the Council that of the two, it would be to their advantage to have a spectre out there investigating this situation on their behalf as opposed to Cerberus, hmm?"

"I'll see what I can do," he replied before turning towards the doors. "No promises, you know that. In the meantime, stay nearby."

Micah nodded. "We'll be around."

"This is what you meant by 'around'?"

It took supreme effort on Micah's part not to giggle at Vega's reaction, and she almost elbowed Kaidan just on principle because a quick glance in his direction she could tell he was amused but having a much easier time concealing it. "We're still on the Presidium, aren't we?" she offered by way of explanation.

"Well, yeah," he had to agree, "but … Lola, c'mon!"

"Lola?"

There was a slight edge in Kaidan's tone, but Micah just chuckled and tossed him a cheeky grin. She hadn't had a chance to tell him about that yet. Oh well. "Don't tell me a big, tough guy like you is afraid of the doctor, James?" she challenged instead.

"No," he protested quickly. Too quickly, Micah thought. "Of course not. It's not that …."

"Uh huh."

"You know, Commander," Kaidan broke in, "for someone who -"

Micah stopped, spun on her heel and gave him a very hard, determined look. "Trust me, _Commander_ Alenko," she warned softly, "you do _not_ want to finish that statement."

Kaidan simply chuckled, but he did not continue as she turned back around and led the way into the medical clinic.

Once inside, Micah separated herself and stepped up to the front desk. And, though there were several people sitting in the waiting area, none of that seemed to matter as the woman pressed a button on her omni-tool, spoke quietly into it, and just a few minutes later, the door opened. "Commander! How good to see you!" Stepping closely, she said in a quieter but nonetheless relieved tone, "And in one piece."

Micah turned towards the doctor and grinned. "Hello, doctor. I'm not sure how long I'll be on the Citadel, and I wanted to follow up -"

"Come on back with me. This won't take long." She glanced around Micah and spied Kaidan and James. "You both are welcome to come too, you know," she added.

Kaidan nodded and indicated to James that he should follow. The younger man's hesitant steps only added to Micah's earlier observation, but Kaidan gave him credit: he was moving, whether he wanted to or not. He also knew Micah would realize this too.

Kaidan stepped up beside Vega, content to simply watch and observe. He figured this way he might be able to pick up bits of information, and at the very least something specific to Micah's recovery that could come in handy later, especially if they would continue to be short on medical staff aboard ship. He had no doubts that his first aid training was going to get called into action at some point. He also figured, time permitting of course, that he could ask Chakwas if she had anymore of the meds she had provided for his migraines on and off over the years.

"No more dizziness?" Chakwas asked as they walked along.

"Not like before," Micah replied. "Every once in awhile it will hit me out of the blue, but that's usually only if I've been using the biotics and I'm about done in."

"Hmm. Makes sense, I suppose." The doctor turned down another hallway. "The scarring on your cheeks looks better, too, but not as good as I'd hoped."

Micah chuckled. "Karin, you have good intentions, I know that, but tell me honestly. Do you really think it's easy to be so positive when you're literally fighting for your life in a place like Omega?"

Chakwas snorted. "I suppose you have a point," she agreed. "However, you should take advantage of it. If not, I suppose there's always surgery."

"Yeah … no thanks," Micah told her. "Either I'll become a more loving person or I'll live with the scars, thank you very much."

This time the doctor offered a tolerant grin. "The great Commander Shepard. Afraid of -"

Micah stopped as Chakwas gestured them into a room. "Doc, it's not that I'm afraid," she murmured seriously while watching Vega's eyes widen in understanding, "it's the thought of any sort of surgery. Of being cut open. Again. _EVER._" Green eyes met green. "Not going to happen if I can help it. I've already got far too many questions as is."

The doctor's eyes softened a bit in understanding then. "I know, my friend. I understand." The room was filled with several pieces of technical equipment, they found, and Chakwas instructed Micah to get up onto one of the tables and lie back. "Just a quick body scan today, I should think," she explained as she moved around to the control panel. "We'll make sure those cybernetics are still working as they should."

Kaidan and James stood back, out of the way, but Kaidan kept his eyes upon Micah's face. She'd faltered just a bit when lifting herself onto the table, and at first he thought the cut on her arm might be bothering her. But after a long look at her, seeing how pale her face had become, he began to wonder. She had also turned very quiet, ever since Chakwas had made her comment about being the possibility of surgery. Now, as the doctor worked, her focus on the job at hand, he kept his gaze on Micah in case she showed any signs of distress because if he was reading her right, and he was pretty certain he was, she was having some sort of flashback-like episode just then.

Nearly three months before, during the battery of tests that the Council and the Alliance had subjected her to, Micah had explained to the doctor some of the fears she still had from her time with Cerberus. Most of them were subconscious, things she was completely unaware of until they suddenly happened during the examination that Chakwas had given her at the time. Like this time. It had been during that initial visit, during the body scan, that Micah had panicked. Karin had helped her through it at the time, and Micah knew she was moving as quickly as she could now, but sometimes that just didn't matter ….

Eyes closed tightly, breathing a bit shallow, memories returned in waves, bits and pieces of incidents she didn't quite understand mixed in with others she did, but the most overwhelming sensation was one of being closed in, of not being able to draw a decent breath. She nearly missed the touch against her hand during this time, and it wasn't until it tightened around her fingers that she opened her eyes once again. Holding her body still, she turned her eyes to meet his, seeing the concern there, grateful for his thoughtfulness. Despite the uncertain nature of their relationship at the moment, the fact that he was there and saw that she could use the distraction went a long way in helping her though it.

"Alright, Shepard," Chakwas finally informed her, "you can get up now."

Micah accepted Kaidan's hand and sat up. "Thanks," she murmured softly, for his ears only, as she squeezed his hand before sliding off the table. Rounding the table then, Micah moved over to stand beside the doctor. "How's it look?"

A display in the shape of a human body with numerous marks throughout popped up on the screen. "Everything looks good," Chakwas told her. She pulled up a second display next to the first. She pointed to an area at the base of the skull on the first scan and then to the same place on the second. "And your implant does show improved connectivity with the nerves there which would explain why the dizziness is decreasing."

Micah nodded, hand rising to absently rub at the area around the implant. She might not have realized she was doing it, but Kaidan did. "Good. Anything else?"

Chakwas shook her head. "Nothing out of the ordinary compared to last time. Next time you're on the Citadel, I'd suggest we run it again. Just to be safe. However, I think we can safely say at this point that you're doing just fine."

Micah nodded. "Don't suppose there's any way to get you to come with me, is there?" she asked before turning away.

Chakwas laughed softly. "Commander, you know I would serve with you in a heartbeat if I could. I much prefer being on ships than being landlocked. However, the red tape involved alone would take …"

Micah nodded. Clapping the doctor on her shoulder, she offered a genuine smile. "Well, if the situation changes at all, let me know, alright? I'm claiming first dibs."

Chakwas snorted softly. "You got it. And, Commander," she added, waiting as Micah turned back for a moment, "good luck."

Micah grinned. "Thanks, Karin."

They were near the exit into the lobby of the clinic when Kaidan heard the doctor calling his name behind him. Nodding Micah and Vega to continue on, he turned to face Chakwas. She hurried up to him, slightly out of breath but with a smile in place. "Now, Commander, you didn't think I'd forget you, did you?" she teased.

Kaidan smiled and took the package she placed in his hand. "Not at all, doctor," he replied with a smile.

He started to turn to follow his companions when he felt her hand at his arm holding him back. Glancing back to her, he saw her dart a look around him and, satisfied that the others were gone, she murmured, "Commander - Kaidan, keep an eye on her, please?"

Kaidan was startled by the doctor's request. "Is there something specific I should be watching for?" he countered.

She sighed softly. "What medical crew do you have on board?" she asked instead. "Aside from you, that is."

Kaidan listed off the few members. "And Mordin Solus."

Chakwas nodded. "That's good. That'll be something, at least." She sighed softly again. "Kaidan, I'll be completely honest with you. I'm worried about her. She's not been given time to process much of what happened over the past couple of years since her return. That has me very concerned. You saw her in there." She nodded back over her shoulder. Kaidan nodded. "She had a much worse attack when they had me examine her the first time. She does well to hide it, but …."

Kaidan winced. "She tends to hide things too well," he agreed. "I promise, I'll do what I can. _If_ they even let me stay with her," he added.

Chakwas nodded. "I know. And thank you. In the meantime, I'll see what I can do about requesting a transfer. I suspect that she's going to be needing my help more than the people here."

Kaidan reached over to squeeze the older woman's shoulder. "If you run into trouble with your request," he advised, "talk to Anderson. I think he already knows this."

Kaidan caught up with Micah and James before they'd gotten far, and the three returned to the embassies with time to spare, even. As they awaited Anderson's return, Micah wandered over to the balcony again to stare out at the scene below. She was soon joined by Kaidan. "Wow," she murmured. "It looks like … like nothing even happened. And yet, we both know it was nearly destroyed when Sovereign was."

Kaidan sighed. "Yeah. I think it's obvious where the priorities were when they began the cleanup," he agreed.

Micah chuckled softly. "Yeah. Captain Bailey, down in Zakera Ward - have you met him? - he made that quite clear when I met him on my return three months ago."

The sound of the door opening behind them had both turning and Micah spotted Vega rising from a seat he'd taken on the far side of the room. But to her surprise, or dismay (depending on one's point of view) Anderson did not return to the office alone. Stepping forward, Micah nodded at both men. "Councilor. Udina."

"Commander." Anderson waved off any comment from Udina at this point, a sure sign that something was not right. Micah bit the inside of her lip to keep from commenting. Not a good sign at all, she was sure. "I've just finished speaking with the Council," he explained as he met her gaze. "And while they agree that there is a threat out there, without further evidence, they do not see it as a viable one that they can openly support any investigation."

Micah sighed but nodded. She'd been afraid of this.

"Why is it that you never have any solid proof, Commander?" she heard Udina challenge, though it was a muttered one at best. She opened her mouth to retort, certain things should not be left unchallenged after all, but Anderson waved her off. "Udina," he called over to the man retreating over to the balcony, "I already explained to you what happened. It's not Shepard's fault -"

"No, it's never her fault is it?"

Micah could not refrain from rolling her eyes. She chanced a glance over at Kaidan and saw he was less than pleased with Udina's reaction as well. That was reassuring to a point.

"We gave the council the information you provided, Shepard," Anderson continued. "We also gave them the reports from Commander Alenko and Lieutenant Vega as well as the supplementary information from Archangel and Dr. Solus. They have more than enough to support Shepard's claims."

Micah sighed again. "So, what exactly does this mean, then?" she asked.

"You will retain your spectre status, that much they agreed upon," Anderson announced. "They will not stop you from using that in your search, at least."

Micah blinked. "In my search?" she echoed. "So, they won't stop me from going then?"

He shook his head. "No. And, you'll still have limited Alliance support as well. Some resources will be made available to you. But beyond that, you'll be on your own. Since we are now considered a 'Council race,' the Alliance has to openly abide by the Council's decision."

"But, someone needs to be keeping an eye on Cerberus' activities, too," Kaidan spoke up. "So far we've seen them attempting to research the Collectors as well as trying to recruit some of the same people we are."

Anderson nodded. "I suspect that is in large part why the Council will allow this. For now. They may not see the Reapers as the real threat behind this, and they may not care that the human colonies in the Terminus are being attacked by the Collectors, but you can do something to change that. Find more proof, Shepard. Evidence that they are a _real_ threat -"

"A _real_ threat?"

Kaidan recognized Micah's tone and was surprised that it had taken this long to kick into gear.

"Shepard -"

"Thousands, no, scratch that. _Millions_ of colonists are disappearing without a trace, and you can't even agree that this is a_ real _threat?" Micah stepped forward then, eyes flaring.

"Shepard," Anderson's voice remained level, calm, "we are doing what we can."

"It's not enough!" she challenged.

"I have given you what I can. Just remember, it's better than nothing. However, I would suggest that if you need to make contact, direct your inquiries either to myself or to Admiral Hackett specifically." He gave her a long, hard look, and Micah reluctantly nodded her understanding. "In the meantime, I'll see if there's anything else we can do from this end."

Kaidan glanced over to see Udina watching the pair closely and, for some odd reason he couldn't really define, he felt a bit … unnerved by the action. "Go," Anderson was saying one last time. "Get us more proof and maybe then we can change the Council's minds."

Micah glanced over at Vega and nodded at him which sent him off towards the exit. Kaidan followed suit. Micah stepped over to Anderson, murmuring softly as she left and for his ears only, "You know this isn't right, David."

"I know," he replied, "but it's the best I could do. Now go. You have your orders and I have mine."

Straightening, Micah offered him a quick, smart salute before turning to follow after the others. They had a job to do, after a fashion. It was time to get it started in full.


	11. The Lazarus Files: Kasumi Goto

_This chapter is the first of numerous that I'd thought of putting in their own collection, but decided that it would be better to insert along the way in this story just so people wouldn't miss out. Enjoy! All of these side-shots will be entitled "The Lazarus Files: _" just for future reference._

* * *

**_File: Kasumi Goto, Master Thief_**

**_Date: September 14, 2185_**

**_Location: Bekenstein, Boltzmann System, Serpent Nebula_**

Micah stood in the center of the conference room staring in disbelief over at the thief she'd recruited. "You want me to do what?" she echoed.

"Oh, come on," Kasumi countered, the smirk audible in her tone. "It's not like you've never had to dress up nice for anything before, right?"

"That's beside the point!" Micah protested, darting a look over at Kaidan. He stood at the far end of the room, arms crossed, eyes narrowed slightly in his usual, 'completely focused on the issue at hand' manner. "How am I supposed to fight my way out of there in a dress and heels?" There was a soft snicker at the end of the table, and Micah glanced back at Kaidan. Eyes narrowing at him, she muttered, "Hush, you," in an effort to keep him silent. Kasumi didn't need to hear about all of Micah's adventures in her early days of the Alliance.

Kasumi simply ignored Kaidan for now and reiterated her rundown of the information regarding the plan. "Like I told you before, if you're lucky, you won't need your gun."

Micah narrowed her eyes. "And if I'm unlucky?"

Kasumi laughed. "You're Commander Shepard. You rose from the dead. Tell me that's not just oozing luck?"

Micah sighed. She wasn't going to win. Might as well give in gracefully … sort of. "Fine then," she muttered. Changing topics, she continued, "So you want me to be this … Alison Gunn?"

Kasumi nodded and pressed a button on the table which brought up a holographic image of a rough floor plan to the Hock estate. "Yes. And he," she nodded in Kaidan's direction, "can be one of your mercenary bodyguards. I got him some formal wear too. You'll be the cutest matching set at the party. I'm telling you, this will be a piece of cake."

Micah sighed, ignoring the stirrings of an ache behind her eyes. Kasumi was acting all too perky for something that was sure to end up less than easy. Then again, she wasn't the one who would have to wear the dress and heels. "Right. Okay, fine. We've got maybe an hour before we arrive at Bekenstein. Anything else we need to know before we go prepare?"

Kasumi rose to her feet and shook her head. "Nope. I think I've covered it for now, unless either of you have questions?" Micah and Kaidan both shook their heads. "Then we're good. The rest I'll go over with you as we head over to the estate."

As she turned and exited the room, following in Kasumi's wake, Micah waited for Kaidan to step up beside her. "Tell me this is wrong and I'll call it off," she muttered as he neared.

Kaidan chuckled softly. "What's so wrong about it?" he asked. "You promised we'd help her and we are."

She paused in her steps, turning to face him. "I know you remember what happened at that Alliance dinner we attended on the anniversary of Elysium," she murmured. "Me. The dress. The utter disaster that followed."

Kaidan chuckled. "It wasn't an 'utter disaster' as I recall," he replied. Had things between them been different just now, he might have reached out and tucked some of her dark coppery curls behind her ear, trailing his finger lightly along the edge of it before withdrawing. Just as a reminder of that night, he told himself. But, since things weren't in a better place, he instead offered her a smile in hopes it might reassure her and added, "I have quite nice recollections of that evening, actually."

Micah snorted. "I've no doubts that you do," she returned flatly, "seeing as _I_ was the one in the predicament, not you."

They exited the room together and walked over to call the elevator. Once inside, he allowed her to designate her level first. The trip was made in silence until it arrived and Micah was stepping off the lift. "Actually," he told her, watching her face closely as she turned to look at him, "having to be there in attendance and watch you go through that put me in quite the predicament at the time, as I recall. Then again, I trusted you to do what needed to be done. End of story." He saw the surprise in her eyes then, saw her pull back just a bit as she gasped. "I do trust you, Micah," he added while reaching to press the button for the crew level, his words giving her answers to questions that still remained between them. "I always have." And then the doors closed and he was gone.

Still uncomfortable in the dress, though she could admit (if only silently and to herself) Kasumi had excellent taste, Micah tried not to squirm as she sat beside the thief in the front of the skycar. The ship had docked in Milgrom with the intent of masquerading as a ship requiring general maintenance on one of the engines and while keeping the docking authorities engaged in that manner of deception, Micah, Kaidan and Kasumi had exited the ship, entered the town and rented the skycar to take to Donovan Hock's estate.

"Right then," Micah murmured, hoping to distract herself with a bit more information regarding what they were heading into. "Tell me more about this cover I'm assuming."

As she focused on driving the skycar, Kasumi began the rundown. "Your name is Alison Gunn and you run a small but talented band of mercs out in the terminus systems."

Micah snorted softly. "Interesting choice," she interjected, though there was some doubt in her tone.

Kaidan chuckled. "Oh, I don't know, Commander," he teased. "Considering some of our current companions, I'd say it sounds fairly accurate to me."

Kasumi chuckled and nodded. "Exactly. And precisely the type of person Hock respects. I took the liberty of giving you a reputation - papers, witnesses, article in _Badass Weekly_. Just don't start talking business with him and you'll be fine."

Micah sighed. "Okay, no talking shop. Got it. What can you tell me about Hock himself?"

"Hock's a weapons dealer and smuggler," Kasumi explained. It was hard to miss the brief sharpening of her tone as she added, "He killed my partner and stole his greybox. Other than that, he's not so bad."

Micah gave the thief a skeptical look. "Seriously?"

Kasumi grinned. "Rich, charismatic ... willing to crack open a man's skull to get at the neural implant inside."

Micah chuckled. "Every woman's dream." She ducked a quick look back at Kaidan who met her gaze with an arched brow. _Okay, maybe not EVERY woman's …_. "Um, so what's with the dress?" she asked, attempting to re-engage in the conversation with Kasumi and keep from being distracted by …

"You'd look really out of place at a society party in armor, don't you think?" Kasumi challenged. "You look great. You should wear this stuff more often."

Micah scoffed quietly, but Kaidan was quick to add in, "I agree." She didn't dare look at him just then, though she could well imagine what she might find if she turned to glance back at him again.

"So, our friend, Hock," Kasumi continued, "is throwing this little party for his closest friends. A couple dozen of the worst liars, cheaters and mass murderers that you'll ever want to meet."

"Fantastic." The censure in Kaidan's tone was something Micah could easily agree with.

"All will be bringing gifts as a tribute to the man himself."

Micah frowned. She did spare a glance at Kaidan, but he just shrugged and seemed as thoroughly confused by this comment as she was. "And what are we bringing?"

"Our tribute is a lovely statue of your old friend, Saren, rendered in loving detail," Micah scowled at the image on Kasumi's vid display, "and filled to the brim with our weapons and armor."

Kaidan leaned forward so he could see the image too. "I don't like this idea of going in completely unarmed," he murmured. "Even with our biotics, we're still at a disadvantage."

Micah nodded. "I agree. And if Kaidan's posing as my bodyguard, you'd think he'd be allowed some sort of weapon -"

Kasumi nodded. "You both can keep your pistols as long as they are concealed. They won't hassle you over a side arm."

"Good." Micah saw Kaidan nod once before sitting back again. "What next then?"

"Well, once inside, we'll make our way to Hock's vault door, somewhere in the back of the ballroom. Then, we case the security and start peeling away the layers. The statue should be there, waiting for you to crack it open and arm up. Then we just waltz into the vault and take back Keiji's greybox. And I'll finally get a chance to say goodbye."

Micah had her doubts that it would be as simple as 'waltzing' into the vault, but she held her tongue. It was clear Kasumi had been planning this for quite a while. Something else also became clear, and a quick look over at Kaidan, the look of concern she saw there, informed her that he'd sensed it too. "Keiji must have meant a lot to you," Micah told Kasumi softly, but her eyes were locked with Kaidan's as she spoke.

"Was I that obvious?"

Micah smiled and reluctantly pulled her eyes from Kaidan. Turning to Kasumi, she shook her head. "Not really, just … intuition, I guess."

"Keiji's greybox holds a lot of priceless, personal memories," Kasumi explained. "It's all that remains of who he was." Micah nodded. She thought she felt the soft brush of fingers against her shoulder, but she didn't look back at him. Not just yet. There were too many similarities here for her to deal with at the moment that could ultimately lead to the possibility of breaking down. _Later_, she thought. _We can talk about it later._ "But the secret he discovered is dangerous. I wouldn't bring you here if it wasn't." Micah believed her completely on that point.

"Do you know anything about what it was he discovered?" Kaidan asked. "Any of the details?"

Kasumi shook her head. "The greybox holds Keiji's memories. Everything from all the codes and plans he stole to … all the time we spent together. Wrapped up in those memories is the secret he stole. Keiji never told me what it was, but the information got him killed."

Micah nodded and took a deep breath. Kasumi was bringing the car in to land, and it was time to put her game face on. "Then we need to get it back and make sure it stays safe."

Kasumi nodded as she turned the vehicle off. "Agreed."

Exiting the vehicle, Micah thought to grin at Kaidan as he offered her his hand for assistance, but then their discussion back on the ship in regards to his role in this little event came back to her ….

_"You aren't going alone," Kaidan insisted._

_Micah raised a brow at him. "I never said I was," she countered. "Kasumi and I will be -"_

_"No."_

_The insistence in his tone caught her off guard. Turning to face him, Micah folded her arms across her chest. "No?" she echoed, her temper flaring just a bit. "I'm sorry, but the last time I checked, I was the one in command of this ship and this mission. Therefore, it is my responsibility to decide -"_

_He stepped closer and caught her by her upper arms when she would have turned away. "No," he repeated, just as forcefully as before. "You won't push me away like you did last time, Micah."_

_Micah sighed. "Kaidan, I didn't -"_

_"You did," he insisted. "I understand why, and I'm not arguing that it wasn't the right call in the long run, but I'll be damned if I'm going to let you do it again. Not this time." _

_"And just how am I doing it again?" she demanded. "This isn't our ship under attack, it's a mission that is very limited in scope. If we take too many people -"_

_"Kasumi has briefed me on the basic setup," he countered. "You can fit one more onto your team without it looking suspicious. And that 'one more' is me." When she arched her brow again, he added, "I'll go as your bodyguard. Badass merc leader you may be, but it will make more sense for you to have someone along as additional muscle. Completely in character."_

_"Kaidan, I don't need -"_

_"You can't honestly stand there and insist that you 'don't need' protection, can you?" he challenged. "With Cerberus trying to find you right now? The Collectors? I realize this mission is something other than that, but who's to say that Cerberus, or someone loyal to Cerberus won't recognize you down there? Report your presence to the Illusive Man? You're going to need all the backup you can get. I'm going. End of story."_

_Tossing her hands in the air, Micah released an exasperated sigh. "Fine!" she burst out. "But I still say you're over-reacting."_

_"Better that than the alternative," he replied. "I'll meet you in the conference room with Kasumi in ten."_

With Kaidan off to her left and Kasumi to her right, Micah approached the entrance to the Hock estate. She continued on until one of the guards scanning their 'tribute' motioned for her to stop. Micah managed a surreptitious glance over at Kasumi, but the thief simply shrugged. A moment voice, Micah was glancing up as a heavily accented voice called out, "Is there a problem here?" _Dressed to the nines_, Micah thought, _and oozing charm, just like Kasumi said_. That _had_ to be Donovan Hock.

The guard who had halted her was quick to reply. "No, , just doing a scan."

Hock turned to face Micah and she greeted him with a polite nod. "I don't believe we've met. Donovan Hock."

Micah allowed a small smile to form. "I've heard a lot about you, Mr. Hock," she replied. "Name's Alison Gunn."

"And I've heard a lot about you," he countered. "You've been very busy lately if the extranet is to be believed."

Micah smirked softly, preparing to reply, but the guard spoke up. "Sir, the scanners aren't picking anything up." That caught the man's attention for the moment, at least. "Hmm. Don't think our guests would come all the way here from Illium just to cause trouble. Do you?" The guard shook his head and Hock turned back towards her. "You and your bodyguard may pass through, Ms. Gunn. You were invited after all. But I will ask your other companion to remain outside. You understand, I hope."

Inside, Micah felt dismay, but she hid it well. Outwardly, she returned, "No problem. You're the host."

Hock turned away, retracing his earlier steps back up the staircase when they heard him say, "Enjoy the party."

Before entering herself, Micah followed Kasumi off to the side for a brief conference. After agreeing to remain in radio contact, Micah straightened, smoothed out the skirt to her dress and turned to face Kaidan. "Well, this ought to be interesting," she murmured, smirking slightly in his direction. When he offered her his arm, she took it.

"Why do I get the distinct impression that 'interesting' really means 'complicated?'" he murmured.

Micah chuckled as they ascended the steps. "Because with us it usually does?" she returned. Pulling her arm from his once they entered the building, she added quietly, "Relax. Everything will be fine."

Despite her reassurances, as he followed her inside, remaining one step behind and to her right, Kaidan couldn't help but wonder if she really believed that. Outwardly, to someone who didn't know her, perhaps, she appeared calm, in control, collected. But he knew her much better than most, and he could see signs of stress beneath the edges. More than ever, he was glad he'd convinced her to let him come along.

The plan had been for Micah to do a brief walkthrough of the estate after arriving, to see if she could determine location of guards, additional security measures and such while appearing to mingle with the crowd. With Kaidan in tow, she was able to do this, though it took the completion of two circuits before she was satisfied that between her observations and Kaidan's they had accounted for everything. Only then did the pair make their way down to the vault entry, the navpoint having been supplied by Kasumi.

Entering the room, Micah had to pause for a moment as her eyes drifted to the statue of Saren, so lifelike in it's representation that she could not repress a shudder. It was only a gentle nudge of her hand by Kaidan's that pulled her back to the present a moment later. Glancing up at him, she saw a similar sort of look in his eyes and realized that he, too, was still coming to terms with events two years before.

Shaking herself free of the past, Micah sought out Kasumi. "Alright, what have we got?" she asked.

Kasumi was already examining the equipment making up the security around the vault door. "Hmm. Very nice. There's more here than I expected. Password protected voice lock, kinetic barrier, DNA scanner. Looks like an EX-700 series. Everything a vault needs to be impenetrable."

Micah darted a look over at Kaidan. He had moved over to examine one of the computers. "This going to be a problem?" she asked the thief.

There was a tinge of amusement in Kasumi's voice as she replied, "Please. Remember who you're talking to. We'll need to get a voice sample for the voice lock. You'll have to go chat up Hock for that. We'll have to find a password too. DNA? Child's play. We should find plenty of DNA samples in Hock's private quarters. And the barrier? Cut the power. Never fails. If we can find it. Keiji could get through a system like this in his sleep." She paused and glanced over at Micah before winking. "And I'm better. Let's get to it."

On their way out, Kasumi pointed out a power cable that was running along the wall and appeared to lead into the vault. "That should be the one," she told them.

"I got it," Kaidan replied, kneeling down to disable the wire.

Kasumi nodded. "Good. That should allow me to identify … yes. Okay, Shep, you and I will go complete the disruption upstairs."

Micah nodded. To Kaidan, she murmured, "Might want to run a quick tour outside again before meeting back up. Just to be safe."

He nodded. "Right. See you in a few."

Micah followed Kasumi up to one of the small alcoves surrounded by art and books and had a lovely fire in the fireplace. Within mere moments, though, the thief had neutralized the threat without anyone around them being any the wiser. As she took cover back under her cloak, Micah heard her murmur into her earpiece, "Now on to the voice sample. This might be a bit trickier."

"Here goes nothing," Micah murmured as she exited the alcove and began searching for Hock.

But Kaidan had been listening. "On my way," he told her.

"No, it's okay," Micah insisted quietly. "I've found him. He's talking to someone else at the moment, though."

"All you need to do is keep him talking long enough for me to get a voice print," Kasumi informed her. "Pull out the charm on this one, Shep."

Micah snorted softly in amusement. "Be charming, huh?"

"You have your moments," Kaidan countered lightly.

"Hmm. We'll see about that," she replied. She saw Hock breaking free of his conversation then and stepped forward. "Okay, I'm going in," she whispered.

Hock turned towards her, a smile on his face as he greeted her this time. "Ms. Gunn. Good to see you." When he extended his hand, Micah took it, grasping firmly and giving it a good shake. "That scene at the door hasn't soured your evening, I hope."

Micah smiled in return, quick to reassure him. "Not at all. I understand the security, but who would dare try to break into Donovan Hock's home?" As she'd hoped, playing up to him in such a manner got the man - or perhaps it was his ego - talking. And talking. And talking. Almost to the point of not stopping. However, seeing as she was there, playing a part, Micah simply stood back and allowed the man to speak while putting on an air of captivation at his words. Only afterwards did she hear in her ear, "I said get him talking, and you got him talking. We've got enough of a voice sample. Let him go."

Nodding at the man whose attention was now being drawn by someone nearby, Micah stepped away. "Okay, I'm stepping out back for a bit of fresh air after that," she murmured.

Kasumi chuckled. "Can't blame you there. Kaidan can help me with the security office. We'll meet up with you in a bit."

"Got it." Micah stepped outside, taking a few minutes to wander around the area. She snagged a glass of wine on her way out the door and periodically she would sip at it, but for the most part she simply pretended to be admiring the scenery. Casually, so as to not be detected, she listened into conversations around her, but all seemed to be focused on admiration for Hock rather than any pertinent information she might be able to use. It made sense, she supposed as she stood there staring off into the distance. But just because it did, didn't mean it didn't make her skin crawl just the same.

A few moments later, a voice at her ear caught her attention. "Okay," Kasumi was saying, "we've got the password. All we need now is the DNA sample and we'll be good."

Turning, Micah leaned her hips against the railing now behind her and scanned the area. There were no guards nearby that she could see, though there were several guests. "So, how do we do that?" she asked quietly. Across the way, she saw Kaidan descending the steps and casually making his way towards her.

"We need to get into Hock's private quarters," Kasumi told her. "But the security around there is tight. If there was some way we could -"

Micah straightened as Kaidan stepped over beside her, but her eyes were caught on something else. "Kasumi, I have an idea on that," she murmured quietly. She glanced over at Kaidan to get his attention, then nodded towards the far left side of the building.

"Oh? Where are you, Shep?"

"Out back still. There's an area off to the left … well, my left anyway. Far right when you come out the doors. I can see a few guards over around the corner there … but there are no guests standing around there either."

"Same location as the guards inside?" the thief asked.

"I think so." Turning, she drained the rest of her wineglass and set it aside. Meeting Kaidan's gaze again, she murmured, "I think we might be able to gain access that way."

"Breaking and entering, Shep?" Kasumi teased. "I like it. I'll make a thief of you yet."

Micah snorted and she saw Kaidan roll his eyes. "We'll start heading that way if you want to meet us there."

"On my way."

"Let's go," she murmured to Kaidan, turning off to her left and heading to the empty area she'd identified. It was difficult to imagine why no one was over here, though as she neared she could see the guards more clearly. Had they somehow convinced the guests to remain on the other side?

Carefully, quietly, Micah gave Kaidan a few hand signals, indicating what she intended to do. One of the benefits of his being her long-term partner, she supposed, was that he'd understand the silent battle language. Sighing softly, she made a mental note to prepare to admit to him later that he had been right in his insistence to come along.

He assisted her up onto the balcony area before following and when she used the corner of the building to hide behind for a peek, he did the same with a nearby column. A quick peek identified three guards, and as Micah turned back to signal Kaidan, she found Kasumi decloaking beside him. _Good. One for each of us._ The battle was short lived and soon Micah was leading the way over to the windows, breaking it with a shot of her pistol. Each vaulted over the sill, entering the the hall leading to Hock's quarters. "This way," Kasumi told them as she hurried forward to clear any locks that might be on the door.

"Why is everything always the difficult way for us?" Kaidan muttered as he stepped beside Micah.

She smirked. "The greater the challenge, the greater the reward?" she mused. She nearly laughed at the look of disgust he gave her. "Hey," she teased back, "I seem to recall you inviting yourself along on this venture."

"Yeah, yeah," was the murmured reply. When the neared the door, it opened for them.

"Now, to find some DNA samples," Kasumi said.

In the search that followed, Micah and Kaidan did the hunting while Kasumi kept watch on the doorway. Ultimately, they ended up with several DNA samples, collected from the couch, Hock's wineglass, some skin cells on an ancient weapons set, even a bit on the datapad found by his keyboard. Once certain they had enough, Kasumi suggested they leave. "Be ready though," she said quietly as she shifted into cloaked mode once more, "I heard at least two more guards moving around up above."

Thankfully, there were only the two and between Micah and Kaidan's biotics, they were disposed of rather quickly. As they exited through the doorway leading to the private quarters, Kasumi spoke into their comlinks, "Let's meet back down at the vault. We should have everything now."

While Kasumi utilized the data they'd gathered to disengage the locks, Micah opened up the hidden door on the Saren statue and she and Kaidan both donned their armor. Within a short amount of time, the three entered the vault proper, and came to a complete standstill just inside the entry. "I knew this place would be huge," Kasumi muttered, "but look at all of this stuff!"

"This place looks like a museum," Kaidan murmured.

"Yeah," Micah agreed. "Makes you wonder, doesn't it?" At Kaidan's look of confusion, she added with a slightly irreverent smirk, "What's he trying to make up for?" In that moment, Micah found herself wishing she dared take a photograph of him. The look on his face was just priceless.

"Alright …," Kasumi broke in then, "Keiji's greybox should be in here somewhere. I've set your omni-tools with a proximity detection program. It should tell you when we find it."

They split the room between them, Micah remaining on the entry side and Kaidan taking the far side with Kasumi monitoring the program from her omni-tool as she walked up and down the middle. As they stopped to examine each artifact, the thief would offer up what little, if anything, she knew of it. From Michangelo's _David_ to a sculpture of a rachni to a giant vase-like thing that was supposedly a turian relic from Palaven, they examined each and every item. Finally, they found the greybox, hidden in plain sight beside the original Locust SMG which Micah was quick to confiscate. The second one she handed over to Kasumi. At Kaidan's arched brow, she murmured, "Better us than him, right?"

"Point."

Kasumi then reach for and lifted the greybox as she began to examine it, but before she could say much of anything, a holographic image of Donovan Hock's face appeared before them in the center of the room. Micah paid little attention to the smug, mocking tone, and realizing that there would be only one way to get through to the arrogant bastard, she lifted her pistol and aimed at the turian piece that Kasumi had claimed came from Palaven. Hearing the hardened weapons dealer squeal in protest was a very sweet sound, she decided. "Do I have your attention yet?" she asked him. Beside her, she heard Kasumi laugh softly and point out, "That shut him up."

The image of Hock disappeared then, the echo of his last order for his people to attack fading just as the doors on the far side of the room opened and numerous mercs began filing into the room. Ducking behind one of the artifacts, Micah prepared to pick them off one at a time, if necessary.

"So," she heard Kaidan call from nearby but somewhere up ahead of her, "Wash. Rinse. Repeat?"

Micah laughed at his reference to their tactic used back at Archangel's base. "Sounds like a plan to me," she agreed. "Kasumi, watch your step if you see them starting to glow," she added as warning to her friend.

"Got it, Shep."

They cleared the room as quickly as they could and, Micah noted with a small, perverse sense of amusement, took several of Hock's priceless items out along the way. As they moved through the following areas, fighting a combination of mercs and mechs, Micah and Kaidan stuck with their plan of attack, with occasional tech attacks from both Kaidan and Kasumi. It took them some time, but eventually they worked their way out of the vault, through an underground bunker area and onto a landing platform. By that time, both Kasumi and Kaidan seemed ready to head to the upper platform (Micah had already alerted Joker to send a shuttle for them), but something about the scene before them held her back from moving out in the open right away. To this end, she held them back, too. "Wait," she insisted. "Something's not -"

She couldn't even finish putting voice to her worry before an airship piloted by Hock arrived and began shooting at them. And he wasn't alone, more mercs and mechs approaching in wave after wave. After countless minutes spent focused on them and the airship, Kasumi broke in and told them, "Wait here," before darting off. Micah's breath caught as she watched her lithe companion leap up onto crates and scaffolding and eventually making a mad dash and leap through the air to land on top of Hock's airship. What exactly she did Micah could not say, but a moment later, when she saw Kasumi dropping back to the ground, she heard the thief alert them, "Okay, he's all yours now." Between their biotics and weapons, Micah and Kaidan were finally able to take the ship and the man down once and for all.

Their shuttle arrived after that and the three boarded the ship quickly. During the flight back to the ship_,_ Micah watched as Kasumi finally examined the greybox. As the thief did so, Micah felt a gentle touch at her hand and she turned to face Kaidan. It was difficult to interpret what she was seeing in his whiskey colored eyes, but she thought she could imagine where his thoughts were headed. She knew him pretty well after all these years. Smiling and leaning against his shoulder, her only admission of relief that the mission had ended safely, she waited for Kasumi to join them once more. After a number of quiet minutes, she did. Straightening, Micah gave the thief an expectant look. "Keiji was right," she told Micah. "If the information here were to ever go public, it could be rather dire for the Alliance."

Micah sighed. "So … what are you going to do then?" she asked, giving the greybox a small nod.

"Do I have a choice?" Kasumi countered.

"I won't ask you to destroy it, if that's what you're wondering," Micah promised. "But I will point out that I don't think Keiji would want you to spend all your time hooked up to that thing. Especially if it's as dangerous as you say."

"Hmm." Kasumi nodded and sat back in her seat for a quiet moment. "I can keep it protected," she finally replied. "No one will know … and if no one knows, the information will be safe and so will the Alliance, right?"

"Is it worth that risk?" Micah asked.

Kasumi simply nodded. "Yes."

Sighing softly, Micah nodded. "Alright, then."

Once back aboard the ship, Kasumi headed off to her quarters and Kaidan followed Micah as far as his before parting ways. Micah stopped by the CIC before heading to her cabin, deciding to set a destination well away from Bekenstein on the off chance that any of Hock's guests or underlings who remained got any wild notions. But as she finally entered her cabin a short time later, stripping out of her armor and clothing beneath, she couldn't help but eye the dress that Kasumi had given her to wear. Taking it in hand, she hung it up in her closet, wondering if she might find another occasion to wear it. It hadn't been that bad of day, after all, and the dress _was_ rather nice ….


	12. When the Past Comes Back to Haunt

Micah had known from the moment that Anderson had reminded her to stay in touch with him and/or Admiral Hackett that there would be additional 'activities' for her and her crew to take care of while working towards completion of the larger mission. That in itself hadn't been an issue and, as she often did, she actually viewed it as additional prep time for her and her team. Time to locate the others Liara had suggested, to determine which groups of people worked best together who had already joined, for sorting out and fine tuning what skills everyone brought to the table, those sorts of thing. So, it wasn't a surprise that she had a message waiting for her upon her return to the ship after speaking with Anderson. Micah had simply elected to ignore it until finishing up the mission for Kasumi which, though it hadn't gone exactly according to plan, had at least ended with better results than anticipated, and she hoped that it would at least give Kasumi some sort of piece of mind in the process.

But now, as Micah stood rigid before her computer terminal, eyes cast downward, vaguely focused on the screen, the words before her eyes appeared as a blur. She'd lost count how many times she'd read them, but all it had taken was the first time to trigger a reaction. At the moment, she didn't dare lift her hand from where it rested on the flat surface of the table, certain it would shake wildly if not violently if she did so. Did Admiral Hackett know what he was asking of her? she wondered.

_Alchera_.

Another moment spent gathering the strands of multiple memories as they returned with a speed and force that nearly left her breathless, Micah took a hesitant step away from her computer, turning to exit her cabin. The elevator arrived moments later and promptly descended to the CIC, dropping her off near the galaxy map where she was able to set their destination. She waited there a moment, leaning heavily against the railing, knowing what would come next. She wasn't disappointed, Joker's voice coming over the comm the briefest of moments later. "Uh, Commander?"

Shepard swallowed tightly, but otherwise masked her own reaction as best she could. No one in the vicinity was watching her at that moment anyway. "That's our destination, Joker," she informed him firmly, no hesitation in her tone at all. He couldn't see her, right? If she sounded certain, he would take it as fact. An order was an order after all, wasn't it?

Joker did hesitate a moment, but then responded, "Uh, right. Alchera it is then."

Finally taking a step down from the raised platform, Micah turned towards the elevator that would lead her down to the shuttle bay. She desperately needed a distraction right now. Something that could help take the edge off of her nerves and roiling emotions as the memories tried to invade. And she knew just what that something was.

"Heh. Well, it could have been worse, I suppose," Garrus announced while working on the meal before him. One of the things he'd have to make certain he thanked Liara for at a later time was the cook on board. At least they knew how to make decent dextro grub. Not to say that the cook back on the SR1 hadn't tried. He had. But somehow, this one just seemed … better.

"I'm sure I'm going to regret this," Kaidan murmured as an aside to Thane who was also seated nearby and only chuckled in response, "but dare I ask _how_ it could have been worse?"

Garrus glanced up from his food over at the other two and replied dryly, "She could have been driving the Mako."

Kaidan groaned and pulled his coffee close for a drink instead of replying. _Every damned time_. "You'll never let her live that down, will you?" he asked.

"Probably not," the turian agreed all too easily. "And you know if Wrex were here he'd agree with me."

Kaidan snorted softly in wry amusement. "Wrex never had anything good to say about Shepard's -"

"Uh, Commander Alenko? ... Kaidan?"

The interruption startled all three men to silence just then, but it was the pilot's use of his Christian name that caught Kaidan's attention most. Something was wrong. "Yeah, Joker, I'm here. What's up?" he asked.

"Um … Shepard's just set our next destination."

Kaidan frowned, glancing over at Garrus, but the turian simply shrugged and continued eating. "Okay? What's the problem?"

"It's Alchera."

A full minute passed in silence before Garrus broke it. "Damn," he muttered, pushing his tray aside. Suddenly, he no longer had an appetite.

"Yeah," Kaidan agreed quietly. _Alchera._ Why were they going back there, of all places? "Joker, did she say why? Any explanation at all?" He wondered briefly if this was one of those things that Chakwas had warned him to watch out for.

"I can't get her to respond, Commander. All I was able to do was verify that yes, that was the destination she'd set." There was a pause at the pilot's end for a moment. "Sensors indicate she's in the shuttle bay, but she won't answer any of my hails."

Sighing, Kaidan rose to his feet. He could ask Garrus or Thane to go, of course, and no doubt they'd do it. Especially after the slightly contentious disagreement he and Micah had had the day before (he was still trying to determine how a friendly discussion about the pros and cons of various heavy pistols had degenerated into a shouting match aimed mostly at him). However, he also had a suspicion of what she might be up to down in the shuttle bay. And if he was right, the _only_ one who would be able to approach her safely would be him. "I'll go talk to her. See if we can't get this sorted out," he informed the pilot.

"Thanks." A moment later, Joker disconnected the call.

Kaidan spared the other two one last glance. "Unless you'd rather ….?"

"No," Garrus returned quietly and much more seriously than before. He'd been in on that 'discussion' too, but Kaidan could tell that wasn't what was holding the turian back. "I think if anyone's going to be able to get through to her about this, it's you. I tried talking to her about what had happened once before, on Omega shortly after she arrived. Pretty much got a 'mind your own damned business' response, but there was no doubt she that it was an off-limits topic."

Thane simply shook his head. "I have little knowledge of this _Alchera_," he pointed out, "or of its relevance to the Commander. I would be willing to try, but I doubt that I would have much to offer."

Resigning himself to the inevitable confrontation that he knew lay ahead, Kaidan turned towards the elevator. Behind him, he heard Garrus begin to explain the importance of their destination to the drell. The descent to the shuttle bay was quick and quiet, but not without his own flashbacks. It was odd to suddenly have memories of the SR1 come back to him like this, recollections of searching for her aboard the _Normandy_ after a mission or in preparation for one, hunting her down in the small workout area they'd created. It had been a long time since that had that happened. Old habits died hard, he supposed. But sure enough, the moment he exited the lift, he spotted her. Or, rather, heard her across the room. There was a wall partitioning off the armory from the rest of the shuttle bay nearby that currently blocked his direct line of sight. But the one thing he did notice immediately was that from the sounds of things, she wasn't running. If she were on the treadmill, he'd have heard the steady rhythm of her footfalls as she slipped into that easy gait. The few times he had witnessed it, he had felt amazed, he recalled. She made it seem so easy, so … simple to just run. And that grace had followed her from the training area to the battlefield, too.

But now? No, the sounds he heard coming from the training area at the moment were more along the lines of one who was sparring against another person rather than the steady, even footfalls of someone jogging on the treadmill. Soft grunts. The slapping of flesh meeting flesh with hit after hit. The short, choppy breathing of someone putting an extra effort into a hit.

Kaidan stepped further into the bay and finally beyond the edge of the wall, finally spotting her. _Or working out with a punching bag_, he amended silently. But she wasn't simply punching it. No, he recognized all too easily what she was doing. Hadn't she tried to teach him some of the basics years before? He was taking a great risk, approaching her like this and without some sort of defense of his own. Now would come the hard part.

It had been ages since she'd lost herself in her martial arts training, Micah realized. Not since before her death had she become so completely focused, and even then the most recent occurrence she could recall had been before she'd taken the assignment on the _Normandy_. She'd forgotten the sense of peace she could obtain while doing such activities. Harmony. It also invariably brought back memories of learning the moves with her father, but now she could accept those memories much more easily now than she had before.

Today though, she was focused on taking her frustrations out on the punching bag she'd pulled out before her. Even though it's movement and reaction was less drastic than that of an actual person responding to a spar, it was enough for her to work with and so she'd started in shortly after arrival and had not stopped since. One move led to another that led to another, and soon she was stringing together longer, more complicated combinations involving throws, kicks and punches. One of the nice things, her father had once told her, about learning several different styles was the blending of them together. It could make her that much more unpredictable in a fight.

Micah was in process of a combination that ended with a leg kick when she felt that tell-tale awareness that always accompanied the sensation of being watched. Only this time, she was aware that it was from someone directly … behind … her ….

Without thinking, reacting only on instinct and a rush of endorphins and adrenaline, Micah shifted, moving, turning, reaching for, lifting and following through with one of her patented throw moves. Normally, she would have followed it up with a punch of some sort - after all, her reason for training like this was to use it in battle, was it not? - but given that she was on her ship and that anyone approaching her should have known better, she held her punches for the time being. But that did not keep her from gasping in recognition as she realized just who she'd tossed to the ground. "Kaidan!" she gasped, horror at the thought of how seriously she could have injured him singing through her blood just then. "Dammit! What's wrong with you? You know better than to sneak up on me like that!"

Slowly, he began sitting up, hand moving to rub at his other shoulder. "Yeah, I do. That's ultimately why I decided it had to be me approaching you and not one of the others. I knew the risks involved."

Sighing in exasperation, she extended a wrapped hand in his direction which, she noted gratefully, he accepted. Pulling him up to his feet she asked, "Why are you here?"

"I wanted to talk," was the mild reply.

However, Micah knew him well enough to recognize when he wasn't telling her everything. "About?" she asked, though she was certain she could guess.

Brushing off the dust and dirt from his fatigues, Kaidan straightened to meet her gaze. "Alchera."

She knew it. Had to have been Joker who told him. "What about it?" She couldn't keep the sigh from her tone as she folded her arms across her chest and waited.

Kaidan dared a step closer to her. "Why?"

"Because I've been ordered to."

"By whom?" he demanded. He reached a hand out, grasping her shoulder as she turned, tightening his grip to keep her from walking away as she began unwinding the wraps on her hand. He felt her freeze beneath his touch. Only for a moment, but in that moment, he felt a tremor rumble through her small frame. She was not as unaffected as she would like him to believe.

"By Admiral Hackett." She managed to pull from his grasp this time, crossing the gym area to the benches along the far wall where she'd left her hoodie and a bottle of water. As she walked, she unwound the wrappings, tossing them into the refuse bin as she passed it.

"Micah -"

Grabbing her water bottle, Micah took a long pull from it before cutting him off. "Dammit, Kaidan, I'm following orders. He wants me to investigate the site. See if I can't find dog tags for the people we lost. Place a memorial on the site as tribute to them." She took another long drink. "Look, it's not like I _want_ to go there, okay? Trust me, if it was _my_ decision, I'd have us on the far side of the galaxy by now. But as he put it, the families involved deserve closure. So we go."

"And to hell with how it affects you?" he challenged back.

"I'm fine."

"Yeah, we'll see about that."

Micah frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I'm going down there with you," he announced. "To the surface."

Her eyes widened. "Like hell you are!" she countered. Zipping up her hoodie with a furious yank, she reached for her towel and turned away, striding towards the elevator. "I'm going alone. Just like he ordered me to."

Kaidan followed close behind. "You're not stepping foot off this ship unless I'm with you," he replied. "Doctor's orders."

Micah snorted. "Since when are you a doc?"

"Since Chakwas told me to keep an eye out for you."

Micah's eyes narrowed. "So … she's saying I can't do my job after all?"

The door shut behind them and Kaidan reached over to stop the lift in mid-transit as she had that first day on the other ship. "Micah, stop this!" he hissed. "You know it isn't safe or healthy for you to do this alone!"

She reached over to release the hold on the elevator, but he stepped between her and the panel. "You aren't going, and that's final."

"You can't stop me," he countered. "I'll pull rank on you if I have to." He saw her eyebrow arch at that. "Technically, I do outrank you."

"Wrong," she challenged. "Technically I outrank you because I have spectre authority."

"Wrong," he countered immediately. "Alchera is an Alliance mission, therefore _I _outrank _you_. You _aren't_ going down there alone," he insisted.

"Kaidan, this isn't your decision to make!"

Micah froze when he grasped her by her shoulders, turning her to towards him. "Micah," he pointed out, voice softer, calmer this time, "we both have our demons to set aside with this mission. You know that. Why not help each other through it when we do?"

In the end, as the shuttle descended to the planet below, Micah didn't stop Kaidan from going with her. Deep inside, she could safely admit that a part of her was fearful of this trip and what it might stir up inside her head. Another part of her recognized that he had as much invested in the site as she did. But the final decision came when it was revealed that the memorial that they had been asked to set ended up being so unwieldy that it would require two people to move it.

The flight down was quiet, each keeping to their own thoughts. Micah fought off a brief wave of panic as the shuttle passed into the atmosphere, shuddering violently as it did so. In that moment, she could see, hear, smell, _feel_ the SR1 breaking up around her as she sent Kaidan off to help the crew and she made her way to the cockpit to convince their stubborn pilot that it was time to abandon ship. She managed to remain silent, though, swallowing back the sharp edge of fear that sliced deep. Later. She could finally deal with it later, after the mission. Once the objective had been completed.

The shuttle came to land in an open area between various broken off sections of the ship. Micah pulled her helmet on, adjusting the flow of oxygen so that she was certain to have something breathable. Only then did reach for the hatch release, open it and step outside. She hesitated in the doorway until she felt a strong yet surprisingly gentle touch at her shoulder. Glancing back, she met Kaidan's masked gaze, saw the solemnity there as well. This wouldn't be easy for either of them.

"How many?" he asked, his voice sounding muted and slightly raspy due to the echo through his helmet before the comlink sent the message between them.

"Twenty," she replied, voice tight and heavy with resignation. She patted a heavy duty datapad at her side, one protected from the extreme weather conditions found on the planet at the moment. "I have the list here. We'll mark them off as we go."

"Right."

Micah finally began stepping forward, venturing beyond the radius of the shuttle. They had a job to do. Best to get it done sooner rather than later.

Kaidan followed her out of the shuttle, half his attention on their surroundings which, from the scans they were able to do from the ship above, proved to be a more or less safe environment for them, save the weather. He didn't recall the cold and snow the last time he'd been here, but then again, he'd been just a bit … distracted at the time.

But all that aside, the other half of his attention was focused in no small part on Micah. She was quiet as they worked, enough out of character for her in such surroundings that he knew she was lost in thought, memories or whatever personal hell she was currently going through. He was also aware that there would be little he could do to help her with that unless she gave in and opened up to him. Since their discussion after Omega, he'd given a lot of thought to her comments about him being the one who wasn't trusting her and, though he had not said as much to her yet, he could admit that she was right. To a point, anyway. But with each mission that followed after, with her interactions back on the Citadel, hell even with her reactions during Dr. Chakwas' exam, he'd seen pieces of the puzzle falling back into place. She was not acting, he could see that. To be honest, he wasn't certain he'd ever really believed that accusation in the first place, either. It had been more of an … instinctual reaction than anything. But now, the more he was around her, the closer he watched her, saw her interacting with the others, the more certain he was that she wasn't being controlled by another individual. She might be a bit less cautious in some of her decision making, perhaps, but then again that was a side to her personality influenced and affected more by her 'firecracker' nature than anything, so there wasn't really any way he could judge that properly at the moment.

"Over there."

Her voice broke through his thoughts then as they neared some wreckage and what appeared to be the Mako. Eyeing it closely, Kaidan couldn't help a small chuckle, but still loud enough for her to hear. "What?" Micah asked.

"I was just thinking," he offered lightly, hoping it might help her relax a bit more, "we should have brought a camera. If we ever needed proof that the Mako was capable of being 'parked' at a worse angle than you could drive it …."

Micah snorted, but her arm was quick to swing out and connect with his. Solidly. Kaidan emitted a soft 'oof' noise, but he wouldn't take the words back. For the briefest of moments, he'd seen a small smile on her lips, a sparkle in her eyes, and heard the smallest bit of amusement in her tone. It was worth a little bit of discomfort to get that sort of reaction from her just now.

They continued on, combing the site carefully, methodically. He wasn't exactly sure how much time had passed when they climbed up to where the CIC of the ship had once been and Kaidan found another set of dog tags. Displaying them so she could mark off the name, he noticed from the list that it was one of the last sets. "What's that over there?" he asked as something reflected a bit of light off to her left.

Micah stepped over and knelt down, lifting the datapad into her hands. She pressed a few buttons, flipped through the surviving information there (which wasn't much, most of it had been corrupted), then attached it to the tether her other datapad was on. "Diary entries written by Pressly," she murmured. They'd hand that over with the dog tags.

Turning, Kaidan scanned the area around them. They still had one set of dog tags to find and the memorial to set out. They'd been over almost every inch of the landscape so far, so maybe it was time to shift gears. "Why don't we put the memorial over by the cockpit," he suggested. "The area's flat there, level. Should hold up nicely." She didn't reply, but he glanced over in time to see her nod.

Once the memorial had been set into place, Micah's voice broke over the quiet. "We should look around once more. If we can't find the last one then …."

"Alright," Kaidan agreed. He pointed to his left. "You go that way, I'll go this way," he gestured right, "and we'll meet up around on the other side." Worst came to worst, they'd complete the circuit, retracing the other's steps, but whatever happened, they'd give the search their best effort.

"Agreed."

Kaidan retraced their earlier steps slowly, methodically. He ducked back inside the remnants of the SR1 and moved what pieces of debris he could. The cockpit. The Mako. The remnants of the escape pod, it's SOS still clearly visible. And yet, no sign of the missing dog tags. He was nearing the area where the CIC and the galaxy map had been found when he noticed it. A flash of brightness against a dull, shadowed area, partially buried in grass and snow. Kneeling down, he brushed aside the snow and dirt, tugging gently at the chain until the tags broke free. There was a bit of dirt and ice still attached, but a careful jostling broke it free and he was able to read it. _Bakari, Jamin_. It matched the last name on Micah's list.

Pocketing the tags with the others (he'd become the designated dog tag carrier somehow), Kaidan was just about to alert Micah to the fact he'd found them when he heard a strangled cry. "Commander?" he called out warily, hand automatically reaching towards his hip where he kept his pistol. Turning, he searched the area to find her. "Micah," he called next, his tone a bit sharper. "Where are you?"

He finally spotted her just as she rasped his name over their link. She was about ten meters away, on some sort of ledge, and as far as he could tell, she was on the ground. Steps picking up speed, he began running over to assist. It seemed to take forever and with each step, it felt as if the snow and rubble around the crash site was clawing at his feet in an attempt to slow him down. When finally he did arrive, he vaulted himself up onto the ledge, dropping beside her. "What is it?" he asked, voice a bit harsh as it mixed with breath raspy from exertion.

Micah couldn't respond as she knelt there, eyes glued to the object before her. It was worn, scarred from battle and beaten by events and conditions of the planet, but the identifiable markings were still easy enough to see. She forced an arm out, though it shook violently, attempting to grasp the helmet's edge between fingers so numb that it took three tries and finally an assist from Kaidan before she could take it in hand. As she drew it close, the minimal light caught and reflected off the mask, and it was then that she saw the actual damage. A long, jagged crack along the side of the helmet. And that was when she broke.

But Kaidan had already been moving. From the moment he'd seen her tilt the object into her hands, granted with assistance from him, had seen the flash of red, white and black, he'd moved to wrap his arms around hers, to pull her closer to him. Her resistance, the feel of her fighting against the action nearly stopped him, but he understood it for what it was. He also knew it was time for them to leave. "Hansen," he called over his comlink to the shuttle pilot, "we're heading back now. Have the shuttle ready to go the minute we board."

"Yes, sir."

Kaidan pulled Micah to her feet as he rose, pried the helmet from her hands and tightened his arm around her shoulders. "Let's go," he told her. Thankfully, she didn't resist.

The walk back to the shuttle was a bit dicey, though. She tripped a few times, as if she wasn't paying any attention to where she was walking. Kaidan could hear the increasingly raspy breaths coming from inside her helmet, the indication that she might be about to hyperventilate. At one point, he even thought he could feel her trembling, but she continued forward, towards the shuttle, so he ignored it.

They arrived to find Hansen with the door open, the engines running. Kaidan guided Micah onto the vehicle, dropping the helmet onto a nearby seat as Hansen shut the door and dashed back into the cockpit. "Get us back to the ship now, Hansen," Kaidan ordered as he guided Micah onto a seat.

"Going now, sir," the man replied. Within seconds, they were airborne.

Kaidan removed his helmet and set it aside before turning his full attention to Micah. Once he did though, he pulled up his omni-tool and began scanning her vital signs. He could still hear her rasping, and the sound was beginning to worry him. _Heart rate elevated. Rapid, shallow breathing. _She was in shock.

The jostling sensation as they shifted from the planet's atmosphere to space was the final trigger. "No!"

Her cry of protest, the sudden, violent though unorganized flaring biotic outburst, her lurching forward and out of her seat caught Kaidan off guard and he fell backwards onto the deck. His eyes returned to her immediately to find her dropping to her knees, hands flailing around her helmet, heard her gasping cries of distress as she struggled. "Hansen!" Kaidan shouted. "Get us there NOW!"

Pushing himself up, he moved to Micah's side, reaching for her as he'd done on the planet below. "Micah, stop," he murmured in what he hoped was a soothing tone, though given the panic he could feel licking at the edges of his consciousness, he wasn't so certain it would stay there. She continued to fight him, to make ineffective efforts to remove her helmet, her cries now beginning to sound more animalistic in nature than anything human. He tried to assist, to get a grasp of the helmet to remove it, but given her current state, he could not do so.

Within minutes, a heavy jostling thud indicated that the shuttle had landed in the shuttle bay, and Hansen moved to open the doors. "I called ahead," he told Kaidan as he did so. "Garrus and James will meet us here."

Kaidan nodded, reaching towards Micah again. But she surprised him again, finding the strength to push away from him, lurch to her feet and stumble out of the shuttle on her own. Following behind, he saw her trip and fall to her knees. This time, her hands managed to free the catches of her helmet, and it fell off to the ground beside her. She, on the other hand, dropped to her hands and knees, gasping in huge draughts of air. "Can't … breathe …," she managed. "No air …."

Kaidan cursed as he fell beside her, his hands moving to rub at tense shoulders while trying to murmur soft, reassuring sounds and words. He set aside the N7 helmet that had triggered this whole reaction and dropped the collection of dog tags inside it just as James and Garrus arrived. Wrapping his arms around Micah and pulling her into his arms, he nodded at the helment. "Take it," he ordered James. "Put it in my cabin for now."

James nodded and turned to leave. "How can I help?" Garrus asked. When Kaidan started rising, Garrus moved to Micah's other side to help them both up to their feet.

Kaidan shook his head. "I've got this," he said quietly. Giving the turian a long look, he added, "Find us a friendly port somewhere, I don't know. Citadel maybe? Illium? Hell, I don't even care. Just …."

Garrus led the way over to the elevator and once they were aboard, set the destination to Shepard's cabin first. "I'll figure something out," he promised.

Kaidan nodded. "Thanks." His eyes dropped to the woman in his arms, now visibly shaking. She'd not said a word since her outburst a few moments before and she was still rasping quite a bit, but the desperate sounds of someone reliving death by suffocation were gone at least.

Garrus then asked, "Do you want me to send Mordin up?" The salarian was the closest thing to a physician they had on board at the moment.

Kaidan shook his head as the lift came to a stop on the top level. "I'll let you know later. For now, though, let me try." He bent over and slid an arm beneath Micah's legs, lifting her entire body into his arms. That she didn't even mutter a word of protest was a large clue to her current state, he thought.

"Got it," Garrus replied, watching them exit the elevator before pressing the button for the CIC. He'd consult with Joker first, he decided. They could decide their next destination from there.

_The hiss of venting oxygen was louder than the sound of her own breathing, though she knew immediately what it meant. Instinct had the contortions beginning: the bending and folding in ways no body, human or otherwise, should ever have to move, but it was a moot point. She still could not reach the break in the cord to seal it off properly. In that moment, with that realization she knew she was dead. Acceptance that should have been casual suddenly became heavy with regret as she understood what all was actually lost. _

_"Oh god … Kaidan … I'm so sorry …."_

Micah bolted upright, a scream tearing from her throat, her breaths coming in raspy gasps. Grasping at the collar of her t-shirt, she pulled at it fiercely, uncaring of the fact that renting it as she did so would make it useless in future. Air … she needed air … and so much more ….

Kaidan awoke with a start, the sound of the cry of anguish reaching him even in the depths of sound sleep. He followed her upwards, arms folding securely around her and pulling her close against his chest, onto his lap even as he scooted backwards to lean against the headboard for support. Murmuring softly, he tried to find a way to reach through to her, to assure her that all was well, that she was safe, sound, and alive. She shuddered against him, head curling and tucking beneath his jaw and against his shoulder, her arms sliding around his chest and holding as tightly as one might to a tree when being swept away by a raging flood. There was desperation in her touch, palpable fear and tension wound so tight he was afraid that the act of simply holding her might break it free. He'd seen her allow her emotions free rein before, and even then he'd known she was holding back. But this ….

"It's alright," he murmured near her ear, one hand tightening around her, turning her to straddle his lap and come to rest fully against his chest while the other hand began to rub gentle, soothing circles across her back. "You're here … I'm here … you're alive … Alchera is in the past. Listen to me, Micah," he told her insistently, "you are alive. _You survived._"

The first sob ripped free from her as a somewhat strangled, near violent sound torn from deep within. The second followed quickly thereafter and within the time it took to blink, Kaidan realized she was finally releasing the pent up emotional turmoil that she'd not yet dealt with since that day two years before. _This_ was what the doctor had warned of. It broke his heart to hear the level of pain she was suffering, knowing what she was having to deal with and that it probably matched his own pain of two years before. He felt rather useless in the process, but what else could he do except be there for her as he had done the last time she'd dealt with painful issues and he'd been with her?

She held onto him as if her life depended on it, and in a way she supposed it did. He was offering her a safe haven. A port during the storm. Shelter. And she was grateful for that. Ever since they'd met so many years before, he'd always been kind, considerate, placing her needs before his own. And though she'd tried to explain to him that she viewed their relationship as something more equal, partners even, he had still done it. He'd once joked that his mother had raised him to be a gentleman, but Micah knew it to be an intrinsic part of his personality. He was that way with everyone, not just her. Right now, though, it was something she could latch onto and hope would guide her through this emotional torrent to the other side.

She'd not been ready for death over Alchera two years before. Sure, she'd tried to take her own life as a teen, but in the years between then and that day, she'd learned how to take life into her own hands, how to not destroy it but hold it close and find a way to move forward despite what odds were tossed her way. So when that moment of realization had come while her ship broke up around her, the knowledge that she had lost it all when she was finally bent on living her life again, she'd been unprepared for it. Regret had been the last thing she'd felt as she recalled everything fading away to black before her eyes ….

And from the moment she'd awoken on Lazarus Station to find out she had been brought back to life, that even in death she could find no peace, she'd been angry. Angry that someone had taken the choices of life from her. Angry that she'd lost over two years of life and was now being tossed right back into the thick of it. Angry that she had no idea what had been done to her by others, decisions outside of her control made without consulting her. Mixed with that anger was fear, as well. Fear that at some point in time she would be made to act against her own ideas and concerns by individuals who only wanted to use her as some sort of tool, a weapon to achieve their own ends. _Unless … you aren't really you._ Kaidan's words had hit a lot closer to home than he'd probably even realized.

The gut wrenching sobs began to ease off a short while later, and at the same time Micah became aware of the sound of his voice, that soothing baritone that she had loved so much before, washing over her, the gentle touch of his hand at her back. _Healing_ her. It wasn't so much what he was saying at this point or how his hands moved over her, but more the fact that he was there. Holding her. Calming her. Caring for her. The way things had been before … sort of. The gap that had risen between them since their reunion had been fading some over the weeks since that day, Micah had noticed that. But there had still been something keeping a distance between them. She'd assumed it was that trust issue she'd mentioned, but Kaidan had told her the day of Kasumi's heist that he did trust her, and he'd certainly proven that in the events that had followed. For her part, she'd told him she trusted him … but then, as he'd pointed out that day as well, she'd tried to keep him from going on the mission. Just like she'd done today. And if he hadn't been there with her on Alchera ….

Arms tightening around him, she realized that the gap that had remained was of her own making. A way to keep him at arm's length, to keep him, or her for that matter, from being hurt so badly should the worst ever occur again. To a lesser degree, she knew the fear of what Cerberus might have done to her was still there, too. _Keep him safe from harm_, she thought. _No more regrets._ "Oh, god," she breathed softly through her tears. She felt his arms tightening around her as well. "Kaidan …."

"It's alright," he murmured. She heard the reassurances he was offering, fought to pull them in, to wrap them tightly around her just then. Around them both. "I'm here."

Pushing herself back so she could see his face, she lifted a hand to swipe at her eyes. Staring down at him, a sad smile formed. "I'm …. I'm so sorry," she told him. His hand lifted to push her hair back from her face and she caught it, his fingers tangled in the lengths. "You … were right," she added. "I just … I didn't … I-"

His other hand rose and both cradled her cheeks so she would look at him, his thumb caressing gently along her cheek. "No apologies," he insisted. "We were both wrong … and right."

Nodding, she reached out to trace her finger across his lip, pausing when she reached the scars she knew so well. "I'm still me," she whispered.

He reached up and caught her hand in his, squeezing it gently. "I know that," he promised. "I believe that."

She sighed and lowered her head against his shoulder again. "Thank you," she told him. "You've no idea how much that means …."

His arms tightened again, but only briefly. "I'm sorry I doubted you on Omega," he replied, "but you know how I -"

She nodded against his shoulder. "I know," she agreed. "And as upsetting as it was to have you doubt me … I understand why."

They were silent for a time, content to just sit there in the comfort of the other's arms. Doubts fading, hurts now healing, the final walls between them were finally broken down. And yet, the void left behind could not quite be filled simply with memories of the past. The fact remained that they were not the same people they'd been two years before. Death and destruction had taken its toll there as well.

Swallowing tightly, her voice sounding a bit more than rough, Micah asked, "Is it wrong that I … I want things like they were before …?" It had been so much more than just them 'being together' then. They had been partners in the truest sense of the word. Each had offered the other support in ways in which no one else could. Strength. Hope. How many times had she felt so burdened by the weight of command, only to have him offer a smile or an encouraging word that helped her to get through it? Rank had nothing to do with it. Sex had nothing to do with it, really. That had simply been a natural expression and extension of the rest. The important thing had been the bond they'd forged years before in a hospital in London and had built on for years afterwards. A bond that still tentatively remained even through death.

She watched him lift his gaze to meet hers and saw this response in his eyes before he replied, "Not if I'm wanting the same."

Sighing, she leaned forward and pressed her forehead to his. "I know it can't be exactly like it was before," she told him quietly. "I know that. But, Kaidan …."

Arms dropping to pull her closer, Kaidan murmured, "We can try again. You're right - it won't be the same, but that doesn't mean we can't move forward ... together. Build on what we once had. Make it better. We made it work before …." Despite the odds. Despite the regs.

She nodded, tilting her head so she could brush another light kiss across his lips. "We can make it work again. And we'll both be the stronger for it." She dropped her hands to rest against his chest, felt his own tightening against her hip, and she nodded. "Yes," she whispered, leaning in to kiss him once again. And for the first time since waking on Lazarus station, she finally felt whole once again.


	13. Right In Front of You

"Who _are_ these guys?"

"Blue Suns," Micah called out in quick response as she sighed if not exactly happily, at least with a wry sense of humor. She wasn't surprised she could find some humor in the Lieutenant's question. After all, the severity (or strength) of a given situation all depended on how one looked at things, right?

So, how _was_ she looking at things right now? The only information they'd had upon their arrival on Korlus was that O'Keer was here, attempting to save the krogans. How exactly wasn't known, though Liara's information had stated that O'Keer had been trying to contact the Collectors for assistance. That fact alone made him worthy of recruitment (if not concern). _If_ he would cooperate. Micah had her doubts about that, though. There was something about this entire situation that troubled her. O'Keer was a scientist … but hadn't Wrex suggested once that krogan weren't scientists? That their drive to fight and kill was stronger? And if O'Keer was trying to cure the genophage, why wasn't he on Tuchanka doing it? How could he possibly defeat such a plague when he wasn't even where it was happening? Both of these things had her more worried than anything else, including the unknown nature of O'Keer's Collector connection. Something just wasn't ... right. And now? To arrive on site only to find him teamed up with the Blue Suns? What was up with that?

When the gunfire aimed at her position dropped for a moment, Micah rose from her crouch behind the partial wall and took a quick peek at their opponents ….

"Shepard, get your ass back under cover!" Garrus hissed while yanking her back down just as a rocket went sailing overhead. The two exchanged a quick, if slightly contentious look before turning their attentions back to the job at hand.

"Great," James muttered. "They have rockets."

Ignoring the Lieutenant's observation for the moment, Kaidan asked, "So … this Jedore is trying to grow her own army? Is that what I understood from that merc and the krogan back there?"

Micah nodded over at him as she edged closer to the edge of the wall again to peek around the side this time. "I'm thinking word's gotten out about what happened on Omega," she commented. "What better way to think you're safe than by hiding behind an army of krogan, crazy or not, right?"

"Wouldn't be surprising," Garrus offered as he lined up a shot. "And with the way Tarak went down, I'm thinking the Suns leaders as a whole and mercs in general are lot more nervous about their survival rate now."

Micah snickered. "It's almost like they expect Archangel to show up and take them out," she teased before tossing out a warp at a nearby enemy.

"How about that," Garrus mused dryly. He followed up her attack with a headshot from his mantis.

In the distance, on the other side of the wide open 'battlefield,' a loud and highly irreverent roaring voice could be heard above all else which caused Micah to smirk. "Sounds like Jack's having a good time at least," she noted just before a violent shockwave of biotic energy tore through the group of mercs ahead of them. She counted the number of Suns who went down and stayed down … and found herself pouting just a bit. "Four … hey, no fair!" she yelled over in the other team's direction. Jack apparently heard her, Micah realized, as she saw a flash of a hand signal that had absolutely nothing to do with the military and yet told the Commander quite clearly what the crazy biotic's response was. Micah chuckled and nodded. Jack might make a good team member after all.

"I thought _we_ were supposed to be the heavy lifters?" James countered as he took the opportunity from Jack's distraction to change positions and move forwards. He managed to get back under cover before the resultant gunfire could hit him. Micah, Kaidan and Garrus followed as James offered covering fire for them a moment later.

Micah tilted her head so she could better see the area where Jack, Samara, Thane, Kasumi and Mordin were. More roaring, the sound of crashing of bodies against walls, as well as shouts of anger and pain continued to come from that area. "I'd say we're probably about even," she told the younger man. "But, if you really want, I'll switch you and Thane out and you can watch Jack's back the rest of the mission."

James' groan was more than enough answer. "Not funny, Commander!" Ever since joining the team, Jack and he had been at odds. _"Like oil and water, Lola," _he'd explained to Micah earlier that day when she'd been assigning teams. _"We just don't mix." _

Another roar across the way brought Micah peeking around the corner again. Noting the enemy was distracted once again, she used hand signals to communicate to Vega and Kaidan her intentions before sending on ahead and to the right. "Come on, old man," she teased Garrus with a grin while nodding towards a set of stairs behind him, "we'll move up top and see what damage we can do from there."

* * *

The battle to reach O'Keer took an inordinate amount of time, or so Micah thought as they struggled, even with their two teams, to make their way to his labs. Finally, they did so, but not without some injuries and a run in with a familiar face. Rana Thanoptis aside, however, finally coming face to face with O'Keer had been anything but what Micah had expected. As it turned out, his goals were not so much to cure the genophage as to show the rest of the krogan what a perfect krogan should be. To that end, he'd used whatever methods he could, even providing the Collectors with krogan so he could gain access to their technology. _That_ admission had turned Micah's stomach. It had also apparently resulted in his forced departure from Tuchanka leading to his arrival here, on Korlus, and his current 'association' with Jedore.

However, before she could speak with O'Keer in further detail, other than the krogan insisting he and his tank-bred experiment be removed from the planet by Micah and her crew, Jedore began attacking, this time using some sort of toxin gas in O'Keer's lab. At O'Keer's insistence, Micah and her teams headed out to engage the mercs and their mechs. This had the benefit of getting Micah and her people away from the toxic gas, but the battle that followed was intense, to say the least, though ultimately and despite Jedore's best efforts, Micah's group prevailed. However, victory was short lived as they discovered that the toxins Jedore had released into the lab killed O'Keer, but not before he'd managed to leave a final message in which he begged her to save his 'legacy.'

_That_ was when things began to get a bit crazy. Everyone started speaking at once, voices talking over one another at an ever increasing volume until finally, Micah launched a shockwave through the large plate-glass window that overlooked the breeding facility below just to catch their attention. "Enough!" she growled. "You two," she pointed at Vega and Jack, "go get Hansen and guide the shuttle into the base so we can load it up. And you," she nodded at Garrus, Thane, Kasumi and Samara, "help Mordin prepare the tank for transport."

Kaidan stepped towards her, calm, cool and collected as usual. "And me?"

Micah sighed, hand rising to press the bridge of her nose against the headache that was starting to form. She nodded at the computer O'Keer had used to leave his final message. "Check that out and any other in the vicinity that might have any information on what was going on here. We can't leave anything behind that might have information on the Collectors." She sighed again, bit her lip and then glanced up at him. "Please?" she added a bit more softly then, the irritation bleeding out of her finally. The quirk of a smile he offered in response assured her that he had no issues with her just then. Turning away then, she called up to Joker aboard ship to have arrangements made in the shuttle bay's cargo hold. This tank was going to need a _lot_ of room.

* * *

Micah holstered her pistol and quietly exited the sealed room in the shuttle bay before turning towards the elevator and making her way up to the mess hall. _Well, THAT went well_, she mused during the ride. But the results were worth the risk, and should anyone question her on that, she would tell them so in no uncertain terms.

Stepping off the elevator and turning into the mess hall, Micah found that it was fairly empty, save James and Garrus who were both sitting nearby chatting. It would be taking a chance, she knew, but after brewing a cup of tea she decided to take a seat with them. By that point in time, the adrenaline was finally fading anyway … but the ache around her throat was beginning to increase. Hopefully the tea would help a bit with that. Even if they noticed, and she had her doubts about that since she'd purposely left her hair hanging around her neck and shoulders to help hide it, she'd find a way to shrug it off. She always did. Besides, the only person whose reaction she was concerned with was ….

"Mind if I join you?"

Micah glanced up as Kaidan approached. Okay, so things had a chance of becoming much more awkward now. How was it he always knew? It was so uncanny how he'd find her when she knew it would be best to avoid him for a little while ….

"Sure," Garrus told him.

Micah simply offered him a quick smile before dropping her gaze to stare at the tea inside her mug as if were the most fascinating thing in the entire galaxy. The men continued talking, chatting about certain aspects of the latest mission in which they'd acquired the tank-bred krogan.

"Grunt," she interjected, voice slightly hoarse, before she could stop herself.

"Sorry?" Kaidan's eyes fell on her then.

Micah sighed. Straightening, she looked up at them and sat back a little while repeating herself. "His name is Grunt."

All three seemed startled by this and turned to look at her. "Was that in the information O'Keer left or something?" Garrus asked. "I don't recall seeing any name designation on the tank ..."

She shook her head slowly, carefully, but it apparently hadn't been carefully enough. "_Dios!_" James exclaimed, eyes widening as he nearly spat out a mouthful of coffee all over the table. "Sweet Jesus! Lola, … your neck!"

Hand rising automatically to touch what she was certain must be a horrific bruise if the intensity of the Lieutenant's reaction combined with the pain she could feel there meant anything, Micah offered a weak smile. "I'm fine," she managed in an attempt to wave the concern off. She should have known it wouldn't work.

"What the hell happened?"

Micah heard the sharpness in Kaidan's tone and turned to face him. "Nothing I couldn't handle," she replied. She blatantly ignored their widening eyes. "Grunt and I had a little … introduction and discussion is all."

"_All_?" The voices of all three men chimed in together in astonishment.

Taking a slow, deliberate sip of her tea, Micah nodded. "We came to an understanding."

"Wait … Ah, shit!" James again. If there was one thing Micah had noticed about the Lieutenant, he wasn't afraid to let his opinion be understood in no uncertain terms. "You let him out of the tank, didn't you?"

For some reason, his reaction made Micah chuckle. "Kinda useless to keep him inside, don't you think?" she countered. "And difficult to have a two way conversation."

"You did this alone?" Kaidan asked.

She glanced over at him and she thought she could see … hurt there? "I wasn't going to endanger anyone else on the ship -"

"No, of course not," Garrus broke in. Micah could have sworn she heard a low, rumbling harmonic warning in his voice just then. "Instead of any_one_ else you chose to place the _entire ship_ in danger."

She shook her head. "No. I had the door locked. He wouldn't have broken free. I wouldn't have let him."

Kaidan stood, anger visible (at least to her) in the extreme control and care he was taking with his movements. Moving to stand beside her, he lifted a hand to tilt her head back, examining the bruise forming across her throat. "And if you'd passed out? Been killed? What then?"

"If the Collectors couldn't kill me the first time, do you honestly think I'd let a krogan defeat me now?" she asked. Pushing his hand away, she rose to her feet so that they were closer to being eye-to-eye. She didn't bother to remind him that she had her biotics available, too, or point out that the pistol had been in hand during her talk with Grunt. "Besides, Wrex would never let me live it down."

Behind her, Garrus snorted in amused reaction. "Heh. Well, she _does_ have a point there."

James sighed. "Yeah, but which one?"

"You'll understand if you ever meet Wrex," Garrus assured him.

Kaidan, however, refused to take it so lightly. "You have a death wish, I swear," he muttered.

Micah sighed. "I knew what I was doing," she insisted. "Mostly, anyway. And in the end, it was worth it."

He spun back around to face her, eyes boring into hers as he told her fiercely, "It's not worth it if we lose you in the process!"

Micah kept her entire focus on him then, to the point that she didn't notice James and Garrus deciding it was better for them to exit this conversation. Kaidan, too, stood there and in his posture, his look, even the slight rasping sound as he told her, "I'm _not_ going to lose you again," she saw the truth. Sighing, she took a step towards him. She reached out towards him prepared to wait patiently, but when he grasped her hand and pulled her tightly into his arms, she couldn't help but smile a little bit. _Well, I guess this explains everything now._

Leaning up on her toes, she placed a light kiss on his cheek. "You're right, Kaidan," she told him quietly as she moved her arms around his waist and squeezed reassuringly, "you aren't going to lose me again. But you _will_ need to remember that I have a job to do, just like you do. This is _my _command and I _will_ be the one to make these sorts of decisions ..."

A moment later, she thought she felt a shudder rippling through his entire body. "Micah -"

She squeezed him again, this time her words a soft murmur. "I'm sorry," she told him. "I'm so very sorry for the pain I've caused you over the past two years. I'm sorry for the doubts that still linger." She pushed back a bit more and now lifted her hands to cradle his face. "I'm sorry you have to go through this yet again. You know this isn't intentional. But you also know as well as I do that we cannot let what we have come between us and doing our job. 'Duty first,' remember?" They'd both agreed on that before ever stepping foot onto the SR1 together.

Another shudder, but there was a reluctant sigh along with it followed by a nod. "Duty first," he agreed before adding insistently, "And there's no doubt there at all." He took a deep breath to steady himself, accepting the fact that the woman he'd fallen in love with was the same adventurous woman who would do something just like this. It was her 'damned the torpedoes, full steam ahead' personality that had, in part, drawn him to her in the first place. Hand rising to comb through his hair then, he asked, "Just how in the hell do you classify releasing a tank-bred krogan alone as 'doing our duty?'"

There was a hint of exasperation mixed with fondness there, that subtle taint of amusement to his tone and Micah felt the urge to laugh. She suppressed it though, at least for the moment. "The same way as I classify using biotics and lift grenades to seal the breach at Elysium," she countered. "We need to use _all_ the assets we have available. I chose the path that would result in minimal damage." She winced after the words left her mouth. _Relatively speaking_, she added mentally. She'd have to make certain the damage in the cargo hold was fixed before anyone else saw it.

Another sigh, but at least there was an easy smile beginning to form at his lips. "Your sense of logic is frightening at times," he muttered.

Micah grinned. "Frighteningly accurate, you mean?" The twitch at the corner of his mouth assured her then that they were back on level ground.

"That too," he agreed. "Alright. What next then?"

It was her turn to sigh. "Well, after speaking with Grunt, I think we need to head to Tuchanka. Who better to consult on all things krogan than Wrex, hmm?"

Kaidan actually chuckled as she began to lead the way towards the elevator. "Who better indeed."

* * *

The ship was on approach, Micah having reached Wrex and receiving permission to land on the planet, and everything appeared to be in order, but she was feeling a bit … antsy. In the days since Alchera, Micah had gradually come to feel more settled in the new-old relationship (she couldn't really find another way to describe it) with Kaidan and he certainly was showing his more kind and patient side (most of the time), or maybe tolerant was a better way to describe it, but there was no doubt that he was always very supportive even if she had hesitations. For this, she had been grateful. He seemed to recognize that the moments of insecurity she faced were more tied in with her reactions to Alchera than anything else, and it was very comforting to know that he understood. As for the rest …. Well, she couldn't deny that it was nice to have that back too. And while things between them weren't quite what she'd call 'perfect,' they were on a good path. The rest would simply take time to fall into proper place.

The first time Garrus noticed, he'd given her a sort of knowing look that had caused Micah to blush. He'd been in the armory working on his Mantis when she found him on her way to work out again. He'd checked on her to make sure she was alright after the stresses of Alchera and had picked up quickly on the changes in attitude. A couple moments of awkwardness later and things were back to 'normal' between them, the bantering just as playful and teasing as it had always been. It took a little while for her to find her internal balance again after that, but she knew Garrus was being supportive of her and Kaidan in his own way, and Micah was appreciative. She and Garrus had never really had a chance to discuss much other than Saren and associated missions before, back on the _Normandy_ anyway, yet having his support of her relationship with Kaidan felt right. He was a good friend. One of the best, and she wondered if he would ever understand just how much she appreciated that.

Now, as they neared Tuchanka, Micah knew it was time to set aside the more personal feelings and put on her 'Commander-face.' They had a mission here and, if she could convince Kaidan, possibly two of them. Weeks before, shortly after meeting with Mordin in his clinic and ensuring that he would go with her when she left Omega, the salarian had taken time to explain to her part of his reasoning. He had his own demons to slay, it appeared, and one of those demons was located on Tuchanka if his information was correct. So, Micah figured while she and her team would work with Grunt and Wrex, Kaidan could take a second team with Mordin to achieve his mission. Clear cut and simple. Like always. At least, that would be her argument to Kaidan. She only hoped he believed it.

On her way to his cabin, Micah passed James in the mess hall where she found him drinking a cup of coffee and reading.

"Hey, James," she called to him as she passed.

"Hey, Lola. How's it going?"

Micah nodded and bent slightly at the waist so she could see the spine of the book in his hand. "Not too bad, I guess. What's that you're reading?" she asked. It was odd to see people with hardcover books in a day and age where most were electronic and read off of datapads.

James chuckled. "Oh, this?" He flipped the book shut so she could see the cover better.

_The Best of the Bard._ Micah blinked. Glancing at him, she couldn't hide her surprise. "Shakespeare? Really?"

He shrugged. "It was all they had in the store on the Citadel last time we were there," he explained. "And I prefer real books to datapads. Easier on the eyes."

Micah chuckled. "I will agree with you on that, Lieutenant," she told him as she turned to leave. "Enjoy."

Kaidan granted her access immediately when she arrived and she stepped inside his cabin with a smile. "We'll be at Tuchanka in a couple of hours," she told him as she crossed the room.

Kaidan had been seated at his desk, eyes focused on a datapad in front of him when she'd entered. Pushing it aside, he rose to his feet and turned towards her. "Good to know," he told her by way of greeting before kissing her lightly. The almost expectant look on her face though had him guessing there was more to her visit. "So, what's on your mind?" he asked next.

Micah chuckled and smiled. "I need your help with something once we land." She took a few minutes to outline the mission as she knew it to be. "Think you can help?"

Kaidan's brow rose. "That or have my back pounded by Wrex?" he mused, hand lifting to rub at his chin as he pretended to give the matter due consideration. He chuckled when she made a feint to elbow him in the gut. "Okay! Okay!" he promised, hands moving into a defensive position, "I'll do it!"

Micah grinned. "I knew you'd see things my way," she teased. "If you don't mind, I'd like to keep James with me. Maybe Jack and Thane too." She had several reasons for this, not the least of which was being around so many krogan she wanted to be certain she had her own 'heavy hitters.' Just in case.

Kaidan nodded. "Sounds good. The rest with me then?" She nodded back at him. "We'll make it work," he promised. "We'll get the job done."

Micah chuckled again. "No doubt," she replied.

* * *

_related reading** - The Lazarus Files: Grunt**_

_related reading ** - The Lazarus Files: Mordin**_


	14. The Lazarus Files: Grunt

**_The Lazarus Files: Grunt, Tank Bred_**

**_Date: September 18, 2185_**

**_Location: Tuchanka, Aralakh System, Krogan DMZ_**

Their party came to a halt, blocked by krogan 'security,' Micah presumed, but the guard made it clear in no uncertain terms that they would not be allowed to pass. She tossed him a skeptical look, one that suggested he might be a pair short of a quad, but he didn't budge. Sighing, Micah crossed her arms, allowing her eyes to move beyond the krogan wall standing in front of her and fall upon the man himself. _If intimidation won't work, perhaps …._

It didn't take long to realize that Wrex was in the middle of something important. Heated words were flying back and forth, darker looks too, and Micah suddenly had the feeling that she wouldn't find herself surprised should a pair of shotguns suddenly make an appearance. She'd known Wrex long enough, experienced that krogan temper first hand. She knew what ….

"Shepard!"

Her name, bellowed as it was across the room, had her grinning. She felt a small movement beside her and murmured, "Kaidan, I want you, Garrus and Grunt with me. Tell the others to stay here for now."

"Got it," he replied quietly.

Turning to the guard, Micah lifted a brow, nodded towards Wrex and his reaction, and countered, "Good enough for you?" It must have been, for he stepped aside and allowed her and her three companions to pass through.

Stepping up to what looked to be some sort of carved throne, Micah smiled widely. "Shepard, my friend!" he greeted her, extending his hand. Micah took it gladly. "You look well for dead, Shepard. Should have known the void wouldn't hold you."

"Wrex," she returned while chuckling. She glanced around the room a bit then added, "Looks like you've done well for yourself."

But where she might have expected him to laugh and give her some slightly animated response, Micah noted that he was a bit more … subdued than she'd come to expect. "Not for me, Shepard. For all krogan. Clan Urdnot is just the start. When I'm done, we will be one people again," he explained.

Micah smiled, opened her mouth and was about to reply, but the krogan with whom Wrex had been speaking, took that option away from her. "You abandon many traditions to get your way. Dangerous."

There was an … electricity in the air following that. One that Micah noted not only had her shifting uncomfortably, but Garrus and Kaidan as well. Unifying the krogan, bringing them back to their former glory, was something that Wrex was passionate about, they all knew and understood that. Both Kaidan and Garrus had been there, too, when Wrex had challenged Micah on Virmire and Ashley had nearly taken him down for it. That had simply revolved around a potential cure for the genophage. _This_, well … All three were ready to reach for their weapons if necessary.

Wrex, on the other hand, had his own manner of dealing with things. Moving quickly, he gave the other krogan a severe headbutt. "Speak when spoken to, Uvenk. I will drag your clan to glory whether it likes it or not." Then, in a silent move of dismissal, Wrex turned to face Micah again. "Now, Shepard, what brings you here? How's the Normandy?"

"Destroyed in a Collector surprise attack," she told him bluntly. "I ended up spaced."

The familiar rumble of Wrex's laughter broke through as he took his seat again. "Well, you look good. Ah, the benefits of a redundant nervous system."

Micah barely managed to refrain from rolling her eyes. She heard a sort of strangled laugh from behind her, though she was uncertain if it was Garrus or Kaidan who was responsible. "Yeah … humans don't have that," she told Wrex.

The krogan leader grunted. "It must have been painful then. But you're standing here and you've got a strong, new ship. Takes me back to the old days. Us against the unknown. Killing it with big guns. Good times." Micah did snicker softly this time. She didn't point out that the ship had been given to them by Liara. That didn't matter. "So, what brings you to Tuchanka?"

Micah stepped forward. "Two things actually." She spent the next several minutes outlining the issues at stake. "If you are agreeable," she glanced over at him and saw him nod, "Kaidan and his team will go to deal with the Blood Pack and the kidnapped salarian."

Wrex nodded. "Go talk to my scout commander. He'll be able to direct you."

Micah nodded at Kaidan who then turned with Garrus and headed out, collecting the others in the process. After their departure, both James and Jack moved over to join Micah and Grunt. Turning his attention back to Micah then, Wrex rose again and joined them. "Now, let's see what we can do for you."

* * *

A heavy hand clapped her shoulder then nearly sending her tumbling through the door. "Alright, Shepard," Wrex's deep voice boomed, "care to tell me what this is all really about now?"

Wincing only slightly as she turned to face the clan leader, Micah rolled her head and shoulder and attempted to stretch out the ache that was blooming there. "It's pretty much what I told you, Wrex," she explained. Nodding over at Grunt, she reminded him, "We were hoping for any input you might have that could help Grunt. All he has are these … memories that were fed to him while he was grown in his tank. But I think you and I both know that means little to nothing about 'real' knowledge of the krogan." She glanced over at him. "Or acceptance as one."

"Hmmm."

Micah remained where she was, watching Wrex closely as he approached the younger krogan. Earlier discussions had been kept vague, she thought, though now that Micah, her team and Wrex were pretty much alone, Wrex appeared to be more talkative. She wondered if that had more to do with the other krogan warriors who had been here at the time (none of whom had seemed too happy at the idea of a tank-bred krogan among their ranks) or something else.

Being left at loose ends for the moment, Micah chose to utilize her time by standing at the doorway to the lodge. Kaidan and his team were long gone, but her eyes were still locked onto the path they had taken. A part of her felt … nervous, she supposed. She was used to fighting alongside him, of having him at her six, not sending him off to complete missions for her because of time constraints. And tucked away in the back of her mind there was that niggling little doubt that somehow, some way, he could end up like she had after the destruction of the SR1. In their profession, that was always possible. It was something she'd come to terms with years before, when they'd both been assigned to the SR1 together. But given her own experiences, she now found herself more worried about it than ever before, especially where he was concerned ….

"Commander?"

Micah glanced over at James who was approaching her just then. "Yes, Lieutenant?" He seemed almost … hesitant then, a hand rising to rub at the back of his neck and it took Micah but a moment to recognize that he was nervous about something. Lifting a brow in silent question, she murmured, "Speak freely, James."

The more casual attitude seemed to help … some, anyway. He glanced around them, eyes darting first towards Jack who was on the far side of the room pacing around in an antsy manner before finding the pair of krogans still deep in discussion. "I guess … I just was wondering … why you didn't send me with the other group."

Micah paused a moment before answering. "You often question your orders, Lieutenant?" she asked, wondering if this had to do with being paired up with Jack for this mission after their last conversation over the issue on Korlus.

"No, ma'am!" he assured her quickly, straightening to attention.

Nodding her approval, Micah explained, "Relax, Vega. I had specific reasons for keeping you and Jack both here with me today." She saw him dart a quick look down at her, read the nervous anticipation in his stance. Sighing, she added, "Reasons that I hope will be proven wrong -"

"Shepard!"

Micah turned towards Wrex, wincing only slightly at the volume of his voice. She noted even James jumped a bit at the sudden bellowing. "I'm right here, Wrex," she reminded him as she gestured James to follow. Jack, too, picked up on the pow wow and joined them.

The rumbling bass of Wrex's laughter vibrated through her as she neared. "Good thing too, Shepard," he told her. "Grunt is in need of a krantt." He pounded Micah's back again and she couldn't refrain from emitting a soft 'oooff' in the process, though she was able to keep her balance. "Looks like the tank-bred needs a rite of passage."

* * *

With Grunt, James and Jack following, Micah led the way to find the krogan shaman in order to make the necessary preparations. They found him just where Wrex had indicated, though currently he speaking with the krogan who had earlier been giving Wrex such a hard time of it. Frowning, Micah glanced at Grunt before nodding that they should proceed. Wrex had sent them this way, so why not interrupt?

What they came upon was not surprising. After leaving Wrex, Uvenk, Micah recalled as his name, appeared to have gone seeking a somewhat more … friendly ear. Micah had to bite back a laugh as it appeared that he was finding one that was less than supportive. "You go beyond yourself, Gatatog Uvenk! The rites of Urdnot are dominant!"

"How do we know it will challenge the tank-bred?" Uvenk demanded. "He is unnatural! The beasts of the Rite could ignore him like a lump of plastic!"

The shaman was quick to counter, "They know blood, no matter the womb! Your barking does not help your case."

Before Micah could caution him, Grunt stepped forward and announced, "I'll speak for myself!"

The shaman glanced over and eyed Grunt up and down for a moment. "This is the tank-bred? It is very lifelike. Smells correct as well. Your protests ring hollow, Uvenk."

Micah felt irritation take over. Krogan was krogan, right? "I don't care what this idiot says," she burst out, gesturing towards Uvenk, "Grunt has the right to be here!"

The shaman chuckled. "There's some fire. And from an alien! Oh the shame this heaps on those who whine like pups!"

Uvenk wouldn't back down. "If this must stand on ritual, then I invoke a denial! My krantt stands against him! He has no one!"

"My patience stands tested," said the shaman, "but Uvenk invokes correctly. Grunt, who is your krantt? Your allies willing to kill and die on your behalf?"

Micah broke in first. Including James and Jack with her, she replied, "We stand with Grunt as shipmates and comrades."

"Shipmates," the shaman explained, "are not the same thing, but I grant you aliens your simple interpretation."

"Aliens don't know strength!" Uvenk burst out. "My followers are true krogan! Everything about Grunt is a lie!"

Uncertain the source of her actions, Micah nonetheless could not hold back from action any longer. Eyes narrowing, she moved quickly, stepping forward and slammed Uvenk with her head as hard as she could. That she saw stars immediately was probably a bad sign (and she had no doubt she'd catch hell from Kaidan and probably Dr. Chakwas about this later), but she managed to hide all but the safest of reactions to her stunt, only lifting her arm out of instinct to rub at the base of her neck, surreptitiously checking also to make sure she hadn't somehow rattled her implant in the process.

"You … you dare?" Uvenk managed after a moment.

But it was the shaman's reaction Micah was watching for. He began laughing then, a deep, rumbling, whole-hearted roar of approval. "I like this human! She understands!" _Finally,_ she thought. _Plus one to the good guys._

Micah did not fail to notice Uvenk backtracking now. He apparently realized that he'd lost any chance of support from the shaman. "I withdraw my denial. This will be decided elsewhere," he assured them before turning to leave. There was nothing in his departure that was reassuring.

"You have provoked them," the shaman observed mildly. "Reason enough for me to like you. They're your problem now."

Micah sighed, rubbing at the back of her neck one last time in an absent sort of manner. "So, Lola," James murmured quietly, "was this that thing you were hoping to avoid?"

Micah watched the shaman pull Grunt off to the side to explain the process of the Rite to him. "I sure as hell hope not, James," she murmured before moving to join them. But even she was smart enough to realize that it probably was.

* * *

"This shit's just crazy, Shepard!" Jack called as she ducked behind an iron beam that offered some protection from the giant thresher maw's acid attack but not nearly enough. A heartbeat later, Micah could hear the biotic cursing up another blue streak as some of the acid made contact with bare flesh. "Fuck!"

Micah, in a similar position herself only ten feet away, grunted softly and grimaced as some of the acid hit the armor on her arm. Thankfully, it wasn't enough to eat all the way through. _Thresher maws … why did it have to be thresher maws?_ she wondered silently. There'd been wave after wave of varren and klixen. Those, Micah felt comfortable enough dealing with. She could handle them. But a thresher maw? She shuddered, memories of close encounters from missions aboard the SR1 coming back to haunt her. "You won't hear me arguing!" she called back before rising up just enough so she could raise her arm and throw a biotic move in the creature's direction. By itself, the move did little to dissuade the maw from his attack. But when the others could attack at the same time, well, slowly but surely they were wearing it down. James, she noted quickly after one such move, was off to Jack's right, stuck behind some structural debris, but safe enough from direct attack for the moment, while Grunt was to Micah's left. All in all, her krogan companion appeared to be enjoying himself in the battle, his low chuckles of amusement reverberating and echoing around the arena they were in. At least _some_one was enjoying themselves.

Feeling a sudden wave of dizziness hit her, Micah dropped back behind the iron beam, content to let the others take the battle to the creature for just a moment. Ever since speaking with the krogan Shaman earlier in the day regarding the details of Grunt's rite and the inevitable face off with some of the opponents (though why she'd thought to headbutt the other krogan was beyond her), she'd felt a bit … off. James had made some muttered comment about having a concussion. Jack had alternately laughed and tossed insults regarding the Commander's sanity at her. Micah was beginning to think they both might have a point.

"Commander? You okay?" James called over.

"Do you think we'd be _in_ this situation if she was, asshole?" Jack countered angrily.

Micah ignored Jack's outburst for the moment and glanced up to find the Lieutenant had left his position and was now quickly scurrying into a crouch beside her. "Yeah," she responded. "I'm good." _For the moment._

"You'd better be," Jack bit out as she, too, approached and ducked down on Micah's other side. "Shit! I swear, Shepard, I'm gonna kill you for this stunt when we're back aboard ship!"

Micah snorted softly, taking a deep breath afterwards and feeling a bit more energetic as the wave of dizziness faded. "Promises, promises," she countered lightly. Then, peeking up over the edge, she began to reassess the situation.

"Yeah, well, I think it's safe to say that this _is_ that reason you told me you were hoping was wrong," James pointed out.

If the situation hadn't been so severe just then, Micah might have laughed at the look that crossed Jack's face then. She wasn't even sure she could find words to describe it, but it wasn't anything positive that was for certain. It was a cross somewhere between a _No shit, Sherlock!_ and a _Are you fucking kidding me?_ "Yeah, afraid so," she managed. "Something along those lines, anyway." Instinct could be an annoying thing at times.

Grunt was still nearby, still roaring loudly at the enemy though he was down behind cover at the moment. At least he seemed to still be having a good time. _And why wouldn't he?_ she mused. _Krogan only feel at home when they're in the middle of a war …._ Feeling a sudden moment of inspiration hit, Micah's eyes scanned the field of battle quickly. "Hey, James?"

"Yeah, Commander?"

Micah nodded towards the maw. "Got any of those frag grenades left?"

He chuckled, but his grin was wide. "You bet, Lola," he returned. "Only two, though."

Micah nodded. She'd made do with two before. "Two is just right," she assured him. Turning her attention to Jack, she continued, "Your shockwave's better than mine." It was a statement of fact, not a question.

Jack snorted loudly. "Tell me something I don't already know," she taunted back.

Micah smirked, ordering, "Just throw the damned thing at it when I tell you to, okay? James, come around and flank that thing. Send both grenades in at once." She darted a quick look over at Grunt. "Meantime, I've got a krogan to convince."

Micah had begun rising when James asked in some confusion that might have had her laughing if they hadn't been in the middle of an active battlefield, "Convince him of what?"

Micah grinned wickedly back over her shoulder at both him and Jack, and in a deceptively casual tone tossed back at them, "Ever hear of the military term, _Blitzkrieg_?"

* * *

In the end, despite some slightly off-timed moves together (they'd only been working together as a team for about a month, after all, not counting Grunt), the improvised _Blitzkrieg Boom_ (Micah knew she was horrible at naming things) was successful enough that the four of them were finally able to bring the maw down. But what should have completed the rite apparently ended up as a deadly provocation to Uvenk, and before Micah knew it, another battle had engaged. This one, however, was easier than the thresher maw in some ways and manageable even with depleted ammunition. By the time Uvenk and his krogans were defeated, Micah was hoping just for a protein bar, a large bottle of water and a chance to recover before whatever would be thrown their way next arrived.

It never came. Making their way back to Wrex's location, Micah spoke with Wrex for a while, though it became clear by those now surrounding him that their intention was to turn towards their own agenda. Sighing, Micah decided to leave the political battling to Wrex's capable hands. The krogan leader had a good laugh over that when she mentioned it, but agreed even though it resulted in the cancellation of any post-ritual party he might have had in mind. Wrex just laughed it off, promising he'd make her pay up later instead. With one final stop to check in with the scout commander whom Kaidan and his group had spoken with and being informed that they had not yet returned, Micah led the others back to the shuttle to be transported back to the ship. She was exhausted, and they'd earned a break. Besides, she was getting a headache that she thought could rival one of Kaidan's infamous migraines.


	15. The Lazarus Files: Mordin Solus

**_While most of this was taken directly from Mordin's loyalty mission in ME2, it has been altered to fit the circumstances established within this story. There are also some additions to the dialogue as I felt certain characters would have had their own unique takes on things. Enjoy!_**

* * *

**_The Lazarus Files: Mordin Solus, The Professor_**

**_Date: September 18, 2185_**

**_Location: Tuchanka, Aralakh System, Krogan DMZ_**

Kaidan led his team across the Urdnot krogan compound to speak with the scout commander as suggested by Wrex. Though the scout appeared reluctant to speak with them at first, after Kaidan explained that Wrex had sent them he opened up a bit. Kaidan and Garrus both began questioning him on what was known about the Weyrloc clan and their whereabouts.

"Sent one of my scouts to check it out, but he never reported back," the head scout explained after telling them about the krogan hospital in Weyrloc territory. "Guess they got him too."

Kaidan and Garrus shared a quick look. "We'll keep an eye out for him," Kaidan promised.

Location obtained, they headed next to the mechanic who had offered them a ride over once they had a destination. The Tomkah ride didn't take too long (much to Garrus' relief after flashbacks of the Mako began sneaking back into his head), and soon they were being dropped off within walking distance. Team members and gear on hand, Kaidan signaled the others to start leading the way in. The mechanic had given them a heads up on potential obstacles in their path, but not much else on the location itself other than to tell them it was a repossessed krogan hospital.

Breaking into two squads, Kaidan led Mordin and Thane down the left side, Garrus taking Samara and Kasumi down the right. They soon found that the mechanic had been right to alert them. The pathway in, as littered with debris and obstacles as it was, hid a number of living obstacles as well. Varren, some sort of insect like creature that reminded Kaidan of the rachni in a way, in addition to Blood Pack members. If not for the heads up, Kaidan suspected that some of his team might have sustained injuries on the way in. As it was, they arrived at the building a short time later relatively unscathed.

Quietly, they entered through the main doors. There was no immediate opposition, much to Kaidan's relief. As he signaled the others forward, he stepped beside Garrus. "Everything good?"

Garrus nodded. "So far, yeah."

Suddenly, Mordin's voice piped up and both turned to see the professor kneeling beside a body. Kaidan moved over quickly. "Mordin?"

"That body. Human. Need to take a look," the salarian responded. Lifting his omni-tool, he began scanning the form. Out of instinct, Kaidan moved to do the same. Though he knew his 'tool didn't have the more specialized medical programs like Mordin's, Kaidan was still able to pick up quite a bit of data. None of it was reassuring. "Sores. Tumors. Ligatures showing restraint at wrists and ankles. Track marks for repeated injection sites. Test subject," came the doctor's conclusion. "Victim of experimentation."

That pronouncement had more than a couple of their group gasping. Kaidan ignored that for the moment though. "I don't suppose there's any way to tell who this guy was?" he asked instead.

Mordin shook his head. Still in analytical mode, he replied, "No tattoos or ID. Maybe slave or prisoner. Maybe merc or pirate. Irrelevant now. Clearly part of krogan tests to cure genophage. Humans useful as test subjects. Genetically diverse. Enables exploration of treatment modalities."

Garrus moved to kneel on the other side of the body. "Wouldn't something native to Tuchanka work better?" he asked. "Say, varren, maybe?"

Mordin nodded this time. "Yes. Human experiments strictly high-level concept testing. Native Tuchanka fauna likely used later, in development stages. Wise to delay use of varren until necessary. Powerful bite." The matter of fact way in which he stated this last had Kasumi giggling softly, Kaidan noted. Probably just as well, he figured. Recalling their visit to Feros a few years before, he could remember all too clearly just how powerful varren could be. The grimace (at least Kaidan thought it was a grimace) that crossed Garrus' face suggested that the turian was remembering Feros too.

"So what can you tell about their experiments from looking at this body?" Kaidan asked. He needed to keep things focused. On track. Gather as much intel as they could going in so they had the best chance to rescue Mordin's student.

"Position of tumors suggests deliberate mutation of adrenal, pineal glands. Modifying hormone levels. Counterattack on glands hit by genophage. Clever."

Kaidan blinked and considered. "So … do you think they're close to curing the genophage?" he asked.

Mordin shook his head. "Couldn't say. Need more data. Conceptually sound, though. Genophage alters hormone levels. Could repair damage with hormonal counterattack."

Something else Mordin had mentioned was bugging Kaidan still. "You said a minute ago that humans are more genetically diverse. How?"

Mordin rose to his feet. "More variable. Peaks and valleys, mutations, adaptations. Far beyond other life. Makes humans useful test subjects. Larger reactions to smaller stimuli."

For some reason, Kaidan was finding that a rather uncomfortable assessment to accept. "I know we can look much different from each other," he said, "but asari have a wide range of skin tones ..."

Mordin shook his head. "No. Ignore superficial appearance. Down to genetic code. Biotic abilities, intelligence levels. Can look at random asari, krogan, make reasonable guess. Humans too variable to judge. Outliers in all species, of course. Geniuses, idiots. But human probability curve offers greater overall variety."

Kasumi shivered. "Experimenting on humans is the kind of thing that makes groups like Cerberus start to seem like a good idea," she murmured, only half-serious. Kaidan couldn't say that he blamed her for that observation, though he never would have taken the thought quite that far, and he certainly wouldn't have put words to it.

"Never used humans myself," Mordin interjected. "Disgusting, unethical, sloppy. Used by brute-force researchers, not thinkers. No place in proper science. Korgan use of humans unsurprising." That was a sobering consideration. Krogans behind the use of humans as test subjects. Kaidan wasn't quite sure what he'd been thinking in terms of who was ultimately behind the work on this project, but … krogan scientists? Wrex had once told Micah that krogans were fighters, mercenaries, which was why most of them tended to leave Tuchanka. The idea of a krogan scientist was laughable, from what Wrex had said. But now Mordin was hinting that they might be involved beyond just the normal interest in curing the genophage? _AND_ using humans as test subjects?

"Would you not have had use some live subjects in your work on the development of the new genophage?" Thane asked.

"No," Mordin insisted. "Unnecessary. Limited tests to simulations, corpses, cloned tissue samples. High-level tests on varren. No tests on species with members capable of calculus. Simple rule, never broke it."

Kaidan sighed. "Okay, so now we have more than one reason to shut this place down," he murmured. "Alright, let's move out. We've still got ground to cover."

They continued on slowly, methodically, through the halls, several rooms, eventually reaching an area that contained a staircase leading to an upper level. But before they could do more than enter the room, the doors above opened and three armed krogan joined sauntered out on the balcony above them "I am the speaker for Clan Weyrloc, offworlders," the one in front announced. "You have shed our blood. By rights you should be dead already. But Weyrloc Guld, the chief of Chiefs, has ordered that you be given leave to flee and spread the message of our coming."

Kasumi muttered nearby, "Great. He wants us to be the prophets for their scientific breakthrough."

Kaidan stepped forward. "If we flee, we might trip over the dozen krogan we killed to get here," he challenged, taking a page or two from Wrex's book that he'd learned from over their time on the SR1 together. If there was one thing he'd picked up it was that krogan, especially ones like this, did not respect talk of peace and promise. Seeing as they had the Blood Pack on their side, Kaidan was fairly certain that actions would have to speak louder than words … but why not trying to bluff their way through first, right? Glancing over at Garrus, he saw the turian nod. "I think we'll take our chances," Kaidan concluded.

The speaker began chuckling, a deep and resonant tone in that small area and one that made the skin on the back of Kaidan's neck crawl. "You killed our youngest and weakest, human. They were not worthy of remaining near our glorious work. Inside, you will find only hardened Blood Pack veterans," Kaidan exchanged another telling look with Garrus, silently wondering how the krogan might feel if they knew they were up against Archangel, "tempered by savagery and war and dedicated to one goal. The salarian will cure the genophage and Clan Weyrloc will spread across the galaxy in a sea of blood!"

"Appears they discovered Maelon's work," Mordin observed quietly to Kaidan. "Unfortunate."

"It doesn't have to happen like this," Kaidan insisted, his voice raised and directed to the clan speaker. "I can understand wanting to cure the genophage …."

"No, human! You understand nothing! You haven't seen the piles of children that never lived! The krogan were wronged! We will make it right and then have our revenge!"

"Half the galaxy see the krogan as victims!" Kaidan tried again. "If you start a war, you'll lose that support."

"We have the Blood Pack, and we have the salarian!" the speaker insisted. "When our clan numbers in the millions, we will not need support. When we cure the genophage, Weyrloc Guld will rule all krogan!"

"This isn't just about curing the genophage," Garrus pointed out quietly. "This is about dominance. Political power, krogan style."

"The Krogan Rebellions will become the Krogan Empire! The surviving races will frighten their children with tales of what the Blood Pack did to the turians!" Kaidan saw Garrus shift uneasily beside him from the corner of his eye. "The asari will scream as their Citadel plunges into the sun!" To her credit, Samara remained silent, though Kaidan thought he could sense her drawing some of her biotic energy to her as the speaker continued. "We will keep salarians as slaves and eat their eggs as a delicacy!" Kaidan looked over at a very startled Mordin. "If you lack the wisdom to flee, then you will be the first of billions to be crushed beneath our might! For Weyrloc Guld! Attack!"

With the talking apparently over, the door behind the speaker opened then and more krogan warriors hurried out onto the upper balcony area. Ducking behind cover, Garrus and Thane both positioning themselves so they could take ranged shots at the top level, Kasumi, Samara and Mordin started working their way towards the stairs where several of the warriors began to descend. Kaidan followed behind them. It took timing and tactics, but between weapons and biotics they finally managed to bring the krogan and the vorcha who joined the fray at the end, down once and for all.

"Everyone okay?" Kaidan asked as he shouldered his weapon.

"Nothing worse than a few scratches here," Kasumi announced. Several of the others murmured their agreement with that assessment.

"Right. Let's move on then."

Climbing to the second level, Kaidan and Garrus cautiously lead the way, the others close behind and spreading out to the right and left as far as the hallway would allow. It wasn't long before they came upon more closed doors.

"Labs likely through there," Mordin observed. "Can smell antiseptic, hint of dead flesh."

"Lovely," Garrus muttered. Kaidan simply signaled for Kasumi to work her magic on the locked door.

The doors slid open a moment later, the room empty of people and yet cluttered with debris and obvious signs of scientific work. Computers, hospital beds and gurneys, crates of other equipment not yet opened filled the place.

"Active console," Mordin announced a few moments later. "May contain useful data. One moment."

Kaidan waved Garrus to follow him over. "Find anything?" he asked as he moved in.

"Genetic sequences," Mordin replied. "Hormone mutagens still steady. Protein chains, live tissue, cloned tissue. Very thorough. Standard treatment vectors. Avoiding scorched-earth immunosuppressants to alter hormone levels. Good. Hate to see that."

Kaidan frowned, surveying the rooms quickly before turning towards the salarian. "How can you agree with using the genophage, Mordin?" Kaidan asked. It was an underlying question that had been bugging him since agreeing to this assignment, and the further they became involved in the mission, the more it seemed to gnaw at him. "Look at what happened to Tuchanka as a result."

Mordin shook his head. "State of Tuchanka not due to genophage," he explained. "Nuclear winter caused by krogan before salarians made first contact. Krogan choices. Refuse truce during Krogan Rebellions. Expand after Rachni Wars. Splinter after genophage. Genophage medical, not nuclear. No craters from virus. Damage caused by krogan, not salarians. Not me."

"But the effects on Tuchanka are still your responsibility," Kaidan insisted. "You upgraded the virus that kept them in barbarism." He ignored the hand Garrus set on his shoulder just then.

"Krogan committed war crimes," Mordin argued. "Refused to negotiate. Turian defeat not complete. Krogan could have recovered, attacked again. Conventional war too risky. Krogan forces too strong. Genophage was only option. Krogan forced genophage. Us or them. No apologies for winning. Wouldn't have minded peaceful solution."

Kaidan sighed. He didn't miss that last comment though. "So … if the krogan had banded together and formed a united government, you would have welcomed that?"

Mordin nodded. "Yes. United krogan saved galaxy, destroyed rachni. Genophage not punishment. Simply alters fertility to correct for removal from hostile environment."

The pressure on Kaidan's shoulder increased, but Kaidan was still having trouble coming to understand Mordin. Before he could speak again, though, Garrus broke in. "So, Mordin, what was it like working on the genophage modification project?"

Mordin brightened. "Best years of my life. Wake up with ideas. Talk over breakfast. Experiments all morning. Statistical analysis in afternoon. Run new simulations during dinner, set data runs to cook overnight. Laughter. Ego. Argument. Passion. Galaxy's biggest problem, massive resources thrown at us. Got anything we wanted."

Kaidan said nothing, though to him it still sounded as if the ego was running rampant.

"Sounds like you were important," Garrus observed. "How'd you go from that to running a clinic on Omega?"

"Wanted to heal people," was the reply. "Good use of last decade. Something easy. No ethical concerns. Understand rationale for modified genophage. Right choice. Still hard to sleep some nights."

Kaidan sighed. Was he being too harsh? Mordin sounded like he regretted having to do it, if not the actions themselves. "Do you keep in touch with your old team members?" he asked, bringing himself into the conversation again.

"No. All changed with deployment. Made test drop on isolated krogan clan. Hit rest of Tuchanka when results were positive. End of project. Separate ways. Watching it end, watching birth rates drop. Personal. Private. Not appropriate for team."

Another sigh. "Most people wouldn't be so casual about developing a sterility plague, Mordin," Kaidan countered.

"Not developing, modifying," Mordin insisted. "Much more difficult. Working within confines of existing genophage. A hundred times the complexity. Errors unacceptable. Could cause total sterility, malignant tumors. Could even reduce effectiveness. Worse than doing nothing. Had to keep krogan population stable. One in one thousand. Perfect, target, optimal growth. Like gardening."

"Pretty it up all you like. You're still talking about murdering millions."

"No," Mordin declared, "murdering no one. Altered fertility, prevented fetal development of nervous system. Have killed many. Many methods. Gunfire, knives, drugs, tech attacks, once with farming equipment." That caused Kaidan to do a double take and dart a look towards Garrus who simply shrugged. "But not with medicine."

"So, you're saying you were working just as hard to keep their population from falling?" Kaidan asked.

"Yes. Could have eradicated krogan. Not difficult. Increased mutation to degrade genetic structure further. Chose not to. Rachni extinction tragic. Didn't want to repeat. All life precious. Universe demands diversity."

Garrus cleared his throat and Kaidan glanced over. "We're not going to find Maelon staring at consoles," he pointed out. "Let's go."

Kaidan nodded and crossed the room, leading the way towards the door. About halfway there, he saw Mordin duck inside another of the side rooms. Following, he found the salarian beside a body on an examination table, datapad in hand.

"Dead krogan," he was saying. "Female. Tumors indicate experimentation. No restraint marks. Volunteer. Sterile Weyrloc female willing to risk procedures. Hoped for cure. Pointless. Pointless waste of life."

"I wouldn't expect you to be so disturbed by the sight of a dead krogan," Kaidan commented.

That seemed to shock Mordin. "What? Why? Because of genophage work? Irrelevant. No, causative. Never experimented on live krogan. Never killed with medicine. Her death not my work, only reaction to it. Goal was to stabilize population. Never wanted this. Can see it logically … but still unnecessary. Foolish waste of life. Hate to see it."

Something in what Mordin had said confused Kaidan. "Did you have much direct contact with things like this?" he asked. "I thought you only came to Tuchanka after you dropped the plague."

"Yearly recon missions," Mordin explained. "Water, tissue samples. Ensure no mistakes. Superiors offered to carry it on. Refused. Need to see it in person. Need to look. Need to see. Accept it as necessary. See small picture. Remind myself why I run a clinic on Omega." Kaidan watched then as Mordin lifted his hand and waved it over the body, murmuring, "Rest, young mother. Find your gods. Find someplace better."

"I didn't expect spirituality from you, Mordin," Kaidan commented.

"Genophage modification project altered millions of lives. Then saw results. Ego, humility, juxtaposition. Frailty of life. Size of universe," he explained. "Explored religions after work completed. Different races. No answer. Many questions."

Funnily enough, Kaidan could understand that easier than Mordin's justification for helping with the project in the first place. "Sounds like you were trying to deal with your guilty conscience."

"Modified genophage project great in scope. Scientifically brilliant. But ethically difficult," he admitted. "Krogan reaction visceral, tragic. Not guilty, but responsible. Trained as doctor. Genophage affects fertility. Doesn't kill. Still caused this. Hard to see big picture behind pile of corpses."

"Can you really just stand there and rationalize it all away? How do you justify it?" For what it was worth, Kaidan was doing his best to understand.

"Wheel of life," Mordin told him. "Popular salarian concept. Similar to human Hinduism focus on reincarnation. Appealing to see life as endless. Fix mistakes in next life. Learn, adapt, improve. Refuse to believe life ends here. Too wasteful. Have more to offer. Mistakes to fix. Cannot end here. Could do so much more."

Kaidan gestured towards the doorway and Mordin nodded that he'd follow. "If you need this much soul searching to get over it," Kaidan added quietly, "maybe the genophage was wrong."

But Mordin was still stubbornly insistent. "Had to be done. Rachni Wars, Krogan Rebellions. All pointed to krogan aggression. So many simulations. Effects of krogan population increase. All pointed to war. Extinction. Genophage or genocide. Save galaxy from krogan. Save krogan from galaxy."

Kaidan turned to face the salarian. "But you could have cured the genophage instead. Brought hope to the krogan. They would have rejoiced!"

"Assumes human reaction," Mordin countered. "Krogan stimulus response different. Harsh environment, take chance to fight, flee. Would have caused chaos on Tuchanka. Victor would have war economy, bloodthirsty army. Galactic expansion only logical outcome. More war. Genophage saved lives war would have ended."

"So … you're willing to sterilize a species based on the evidence of a few simulations?" Kaidan saw Garrus starting to head over towards them again, but he waved the turian off.

"Yes. Millions of data points. Years of arguments. Countless scenarios. All noted krogan fragmentation as dangerous. No unified culture to support repopulation. Would have been war. Turians and humans destroying krogan utterly. Genophage was better. Saved lives."

Allowing his frustration to show, Kaidan jabbed his hand back in the direction they'd just left. "Look at the dead woman, Mordin. It doesn't look like you _saved_ her."

Mordin sighed. "No," he agreed. "It doesn't. Worked with available data. Only option. No other possible …." His eyes lingered over the dead krogan female as his words trailed off. Only then did he turn away. "Doesn't matter."

Turning back to the others, Kaidan moved to the front. "Let's go."

They continued through the doorway and down a short hallway, moving slowly and quietly until they came to a left turn. To the right was another door. Kasumi did a quick scan with her omni-tool, commenting, "Door's not locked. Looks like someone's in there though."

Kaidan exchanged a glance with Garrus who nodded after a moment. Splitting the group down the middle, one group moving to the right the other to the left of the door, Kaidan nodded at Kasumi to open it while he and the others raised weapons. The door slid open to the left and when no immediate threat presented itself, the group reformed, Kaidan and Garrus stepping inside with Mordin, Thane and the others following behind. Kasumi moved off to the right immediately, her skills going to work on a datapad found nearby. There was one body, obviously long beyond saving, and one other still alive, sitting off to the left side. Both were krogan. Mordin moved immediately to the first one, lying prone on the floor, but was shaking his head sadly before he'd even finished his scans. Only then did Kaidan turn towards the other one. Garrus had already done so and by the time Kaidan joined him, the krogan was speaking.

"You killed the Blood Pack guards!" he exclaimed with some measure of astonishment.

Mordin moved beside Kaidan then, though not any further. He began running scans with the safe distance between them. "Not Blood Pack, not member of Clan Weyrlock," he murmured. "Wrong clan markings."

The krogan heard him and declared, "I'm an Urdnot scout. Weyrloc guards got me. Brought me here."

"You're not looking so good," Kaidan told him. "Are you injured?" He glanced at Mordin who shook his head.

"They gave me … things," the krogan explained. "Injections, mostly. Sometimes gas. Made me sick. Fever, aches. Can't keep food down. They're fixing the genophage. I'm making a sacrifice … for all krogan."

"Do you need help getting out of here?" Garrus asked. "You should be clear from here to the exit …."

The krogan shook his head. With an ever increasing sense of urgency, he told them, "You don't understand. I'm not too sick to leave. I _have_ to stay. They're curing the genophage. They're going to make it all better! They have to keep doing the tests!"

"Well," Kasumi murmured behind them, "that explains why the door wasn't locked. He _wants_ to stay."

Mordin's voice, low and calm, broke through again. "Caution, Commander. Patient unstable, susceptible. Brainwashed."

Kaidan nodded. "Why do you want them to keep doing the tests?" he asked.

The krogan scout continued to sit before them looking dejected. "This is my fault. I got caught. Wasn't strong enough, not good enough. This is all I can do. I'm not big enough to have a real shot with the females. I'll never have kids of my own. But if I help undo the genophage, then I mattered."

Garrus and Kaidan exchanged a look. "Millions of children will be born. _Weyrloc_ children," Garrus countered. "They're going to destroy the other clans."

That seemed to give the krogan a moment's pause for thought. "But … no. No, they said I was helping Urdnot!"

"If you want to help Urdnot," Kaidan told him, "you need to get back there." He side glanced Garrus, lifting his brow in silent communication. Only when the turian nodded did Kaidan go ahead. "But it would take a _real_ badass to make it back to camp while injured."

"I can do it," the krogan insisted.

"You?" Garrus countered, picking up where Kaidan left off. "He said 'badass,' not some scout whining like a quarian with a tummy-ache." There was a soft snicker off to the side behind them, but neither Kaidan nor Garrus acknowledged it.

"I can do it!" the krogan insisted as he pushed himself to his feet. "I'm up! And I'm going to the female camp!"

Garrus chuckled. "Damn right you are!" he told him. "Get back there and show them what you're worth!"

As the krogan began stumbling his way past, Kaidan added, "Go! Go!" The krogan's roaring bellow echoed around them as he turned down the hall from which they'd come. Chuckling, Kaidan glanced over at Garrus and gave the turian a nod of thanks. "I can't believe that worked," he said after a moment.

Garrus chuckled too. "Neither can I."

Exiting the room, Kaidan turned down the open hallway, leading them to yet another door. Gesturing Kasumi forward, he murmured to the others, "Be on your guard. We've got to be getting close."

The door opened, and almost immediately they discovered that they were indeed closing in. On the far side of the entrance, they found two Blood Pack members who spotted them almost immediately. Kaidan and Thane provided covering fire for the others to enter the chamber, a larger and more open area that appeared to have stairwell access to both upper and lower levels. Once they were inside, the two squads split again, moving to take either side of the area. First varren and then more krogan appeared after the Blood Pack went down until finally they cleared them all out. At least for the moment.

Moving rapidly down to the lower level, they encountered further Blood Pack resistance and varren, until finally one last krogan bellowing that he was the Weyrloc Clan Chief Guld also arrived. But, like the others, he was no match for them. As they crossed the bridge leading to the area from which the opposition had come, Kaidan heard Garrus rumbling, "Just like old times, eh, Commander?" Kaidan just chuckled and shook his head in amusement. Some things never changed.

Through the doorway and descending one last set of stairs, they finally came upon one last door. While Kasumi worked on the lock to that one, Kaidan took a quick scan of the lone research terminal left in the outer hall. A quick data dump later, he was moving back over with the others. "Everyone ready?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder. They nodded and he turned back, opening the door to the lab.

As they entered the room, they found a salarian on the far side, busily working at a console. "Maelon," Mordin murmured in identification as he, Kaidan and Garrus moved forward. The others remained near the doorway, armed and ready should their assistance be needed. There was confusion and disbelief in Mordin's voice as he told them, "Alive. Unharmed. No signs of restraint. No evidence of torture. Don't understand."

Mordin might not 'understand,' but Kaidan suddenly felt all sorts of alarm bells triggering. The younger salarian was 'working' at his console, barely sparing them a glance at first, but otherwise his actions remained calm, controlled. This was not the sign of someone in need of rescuing. He was showing no immediate evidence of someone being held against his well. A quick look over at Garrus and he realized that the turian was sharing that gut instinct. Both men tightened their holds on their weapons.

"For such a smart man, Professor," Maelon finally spoke as he turned to face them, "you always had trouble seeing evidence that disagreed with your preconceptions. How long will it take for you to admit that I'm here because I wish to be here?"

Kaidan dropped one hand behind his back, issuing silent commands with it that the others would understand. As he brought his hand back to his weapon, he could hear the scuffling steps indicating that they had heeded his request to spread out around the room.

"He wasn't kidnapped," Garrus commented, voicing the obvious then. "He came here voluntarily to cure the genophage." Maelon nodded his agreement.

"Impossible!" Mordin protested. "Whole team agreed! Project necessary!"

Voice filled with contempt, Maelon demanded, "How was I supposed to disagree with the _great_ Doctor Solus? I was your student! I looked up to you!"

"Experiments performed here," Mordin accused. "Live subjects! Prisoners! Torture and executions. Your doing?"

Maelon didn't seem worried about it. "We've already got the blood of millions on our hands, Doctor. If it takes a bit more to put things right, I can deal with that."

"Yeah," Garrus broke in, "but can they?"

"Why work with Clan Weyrloc?" Kaidan asked out of curiosity. "And how did you access the genophage data?"

"The data was easy to obtain," Maelon haughtily replied. "We all still had clearance. We were heroes. All I had to do was ask. As for the Weyrloc," his attention turned back towards his computer console, "they were the only clan with both the resources and the commitment."

"Urdnot has a larger camp than Weyrloc," Garrus pointed out. "Why not use them?"

"Urdnot Wrex is too soft," Maelon scoffed. "He wasn't willing to do the experiments I needed. It's Urdnot's loss and Weyrloc's gain. Their clan will be the first to recover from the crime we committed."

"You talked about killing," Kaidan pointed out, attempting to use the information Mordin had been providing him all along as a counter to Maelon's arguments, "but the genophage isn't lethal. It only affects fertility rates."

Maelon's irritation was clearly increasing. "Krogan fight over fertile females. They become mercenaries or pirates because they see no alternative! They would be thriving in a cultural renaissance now had we not decided that this was what they deserved!"

"Inaccurate," Mordin insisted. "Krogan population resulted in war. Simulations were clear!"

Kaidan took that as a launch for his next point. Facing Maelon, he challenged, "Do you honestly think the experiments you did here are justified?"

"We committed cultural genocide!" Maelon exploded. "Nothing I do will ever be justified! The experiments are monstrous … because I was taught to be a monster."

Garrus glanced over at Mordin. "Mordin, did you ever perform experiments like this?" he asked.

Mordin shook his head. "No. Never taught you this, Maelon."

"So your hands are clean!" Maelon spat. "What does it matter if the ground is stained with the blood of millions! You taught me that the end justified the means. I will undo what we did, Professor. The only way I know how."

"What happens if the genophage is cured and the krogan expand again?" Kaidan countered. "_That_ will be on your head."

"We justified this atrocity by saying the krogan would cause havoc and war if their population recovered. But look at the galaxy! Batarian attacks in the Traverse, geth attacks on the Citadel. Is this a more peaceful universe? The assault on Eden Prime might never have happened if we had let the krogan recover. We'll never know."

"How would a krogan population explosion have done anything to stop Saren and the geth?" Garrus demanded.

Maelon glanced over at him. "An increased krogan population would have forced the Council to take steps, likely involving colony rights in the Traverse. The turian fleets would be vigilant for any military activity in the area. They might have stopped the geth at Eden Prime."

"Supposition," Mordin broke in. "Impossible to be certain."

But Maelon was insistent. "Don't you see? We tried to play god, and we failed! We only made things worse … and I'm going to fix it."

Kaidan sighed. They weren't getting anywhere with Maelon and his arguments. He was too entrenched in his own views. Turning to Mordin, he said, "Maelon clearly doesn't need rescuing. What do you want to do?"

Mordin shook his head, a sadness overtaking him. "Have to end this."

Before anyone could do or say anything else, however, Maelon pulled out a pistol and aimed it, turning right and left, causing Garrus, Kaidan and Mordin to back up a step or two. "You can't face the truth, can you?" he demanded of Mordin in a near hysterical reaction. "You can't admit that your brilliant mind led you to commit such an atrocity!"

It was when Maelon turned towards Kaidan, the gun aimed right for his chest, that Mordin moved, stepping towards the younger salarian and throwing a hard right hook. "Unacceptable experiments. Unacceptable goals. Won't change. No choice. Have to kill you." Stepping forward, Mordin grabbed Maelon's pistol and lifted it, aiming at his head.

Kaidan and Garrus both reacted at the same time, both stepping towards him. "Mordin, wait! Don't lower yourself to his level," Garrus urged.

Kaidan didn't reach out for him, but his words were compelling. "You don't need to do that, Mordin," he insisted. "You aren't a murderer."

It took a minute, and for a moment, Kaidan wondered if Mordin had heard either him or Garrus, but finally, the haze seemed to clear from the professor's eyes and he took a step back. "No," he murmured. "Not a murderer." The tension in the room eased down a couple of levels then. "Thank you, Commander," he told Kaidan. "Finished, Maelon. Get out. No Weyrloc left. Project over."

Garrus turned to face the others, waving them away from the door so the younger salarian could exit uncontested.

"Aren't you worried that he'll start his research again?" Kaidan asked quietly as he and Mordin stood by the computer console.

"No. Locking this unit," Mordin explained as he reached out to the control panel. "Special Tasks Group can cut across to old data. Could start from scratch. Decades of work, though. Didn't teach you everything I knew."

Kaidan frowned as Garrus approached, though his eyes were still upon Maelon who seemed to be hesitating nearby. "What if he talks to more krogan and tells the public about the modified genophage project?"

"Special Tasks Group good at covering tracks," Mordin explained. Garrus nodded. "No proof. Weyrloc willingness to work with salarian unusual. Other krogan will kill him."

"You heard the Professor," Garrus told Maelon. "Get out before he changes his mind."

Maelon looked a bit confused then. "Where am I supposed to go, Professor?" he asked.

Mordin shrugged, disinterested. "Don't care. Try Omega. Can always use another clinic."

"The krogan didn't deserve what we did to them, Professor. The genophage needs to end," Maelon insisted as he scrambled out of the room.

Mordin shook his head, back to Maelon. "Not like this." To Kaidan, he said, "My apologies, Commander. Misunderstood mission parameters. No kidnapping. My mistake. Thank you."

Kaidan waved off his words. "Don't worry about me, Mordin. What about you? How are you doing?"

Mordin stood there, hands resting to the sides of the keyboard as he held himself still. "Should have killed him. Wanted to. Easier than listening. Easier for him, too. Experiments indicate how far he's fallen. Expected it from krogan. Not one of mine."

"Maybe you'll remember that the next time you're discussing the ethics of the genophage," Kaidan suggested quietly.

"Yes. So many variables. Stress responses. Impossible to truly predict. Something to think about." Mordin sighed and straightened then. Turning towards Kaidan, he continued, "Maelon's research. Only loose end. Could destroy it. Closure. Security. Still valuable though."

"If you think it could be useful," Kaidan commented, "why not hold onto it?"

"Worked for years to create modified genophage. Should destroy this. Maelon's work could cure genophage. Don't know. Effects on krogan. Effects on galaxy. Too many variables. Too many variables!"

Kaidan nodded, understanding. "You regret what the krogan have become. You see the horror of what they did here, but you see the loss too."

"Wasted potential," Mordin muttered.

"They don't deserve this, Mordin," Kaidan insisted. "Save the data. Hold onto it. Maybe one day …."

There was a silent moment, one in which Kaidan saw Garrus turn towards the others to gather them together to begin to head out of the hospital now that the mission was completed. Finally, Mordin replied, "Point taken, Commander." He began fiddling with the console. "Capturing data, wiping local copy. Still years from cure. But closer than starting from scratch." A moment and a beep later, he continued, "Done. Ready to go. Ready to be off Tuchanka. Anywhere else. Maybe somewhere sunny."

Kaidan held back a smile. Nodding instead, he turned and began leading Mordin out of the room. "Let's get out of here."


End file.
